The Warring Earth—Book Three: Water
by Twins of the Pen
Summary: While the Avatar narrowly escaped his untimely demise, some were not so lucky: ZanYi's brother least of all. Problems and arguments keep coming in waves, and Team Avatar seems as if it will burst at the seams. Can our heroes hold it together long enough for Syaoran to master his final element? Or will the tidal wave of emotions destroy them all? Third of five books. OC pairings.
1. The Mourning

**Avatar: The Warring Earth**

**Book Three—Water**

**By Twins of the Pen**

**Disclaimer: Avatar in itself belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryan Konietzko/Michael DiMartino. The only things that belong to Twins of the Pen are the original characters.**

* * *

"Don't you have your own room now, Sora?"

"Yes!"

"Then why are you in here instead of there?"

"Because I can," Sora quipped back at her grumpy brother, sticking her tongue out. Syaoran groaned with a roll of his eyes. It had only been two weeks and things were already getting back to normal—normal being that his sister loved to antagonize him because she can.

"Okay, well can you just get out? I'd like to put some clothes on before dinner," Syaoran urged her, a firm grip on his towel. Making a sour face at him, but jumping off of his bed anyway, Sora sauntered on out of his underground room, giving the door a hefty slam behind her. Syaoran could only shake his head; was he still that childish at thirteen? He surely hoped not.

Finally getting a chance to put some clean clothes on, he did. Ever since he'd started airbending—at last!—him and Tiki have kept up training every day. He may be airbending, and it helped that he'd long memorized all of the forms, but that didn't mean the Avatar couldn't improve. Besides, he still had some difficulty with a few moves. Thankfully in last week or so he'd gotten his own space back on base. After a couple days of sharing with his sister while she and their mother waited for their own rooms on base, she'd already started grating on him. It was nice to come back from training most days and be able to have five minutes of calm and quiet.

Finally clothed, Syaoran walked out and closed his door with a soft click that echoed in the empty stone hall. Chances were that Tiki was either still showering or dressing—either way, he wasn't going near her door. Not again. And Shun would already be at dinner, probably, hoping ZanYi would show up…

His green eyes turned to look at the closed door just a few paces down the cold hallway from him. It had been closed for a very long time, the familiar face of the lieutenant equally distant. No one had really seen her at all since they got back. Ever since they returned from the battle that left her brother dead, ZanYi had vacated her room, it seemed. She was always working, the team only getting to catch glimpses of her surrounded by her AKs or working alongside some of the other team leaders. Rumor had it she was sleeping over in the sergeant major's quarters, but that was assuming she was sleeping at all…

Syaoran sighed. As good as things were with training, it felt like the other half of their team was falling apart. ZanYi was almost nonexistent. Shun was always stewing over what to do about it. And yet, him and Tiki were peachy keen. Well, aside from the distracting thoughts about her lately.

Either way, Team Avatar just wasn't the same. And none of them knew what to do about it.

When he got into the dining hall, he grabbed his food, crossed the stone floor, and sat at the table Shun was already at. "Any sightings today?" he asked as gingerly as he could.

Shun sighed heavily. That was a 'no'.

These past two weeks had been… difficult for the giant waterbender. ZanYi was persistently avoiding him, and it was a struggle to be able to remain patient, to wait for her. Once or twice, Shun thought about barreling into her room and just holding her, just to remind her that she was still thought about, that she was still loved… that she still mattered. He could see it in the brief glimpses he always caught of her—ZanYi was slowly killing herself. And it broke his heart.

Shun's large hand closed around ZanYi's dogtags—he wore them openly now, his 'collar' on display for the world. Even if ZanYi seemed to have forgotten that he was hers, he never would. He couldn't. His thumb stroking the cool, flat metal, the giant waterbender finally spoke to Syaoran. "…Some of her AKs approached me," he revealed, he himself still surprised by the encounter. "They're… worried about her, to say the least. They want me to help her. I want to help her. I just… I don't know how."

In a rare moment of frustration, Shun shoved his barely touched tray away from him, to the side. Tiki, who had just entered the dining hall and gotten food, frowned at this display as soon as she sat down. "Shun, eat something," she scolded him, airbending his tray to sit back in front of him. "Just because ZanYi isn't taking care of herself like she should doesn't mean you should follow her example."

"I'm not hungry," Shun protested, a hand raised to his temple. Really, he was feeling too sick to eat. How could he just sit there eating when ZanYi needed him more than ever? But Tiki outright scowled. Standing up again, she reached over the table and yanked the collar of Shun's shirt with surprising force, causing the giant waterbender to meet her eyes in alarm.

"Listen to me: _do not get sucked into ZanYi's despair,_" Tiki spoke slowly and deliberately. "I know you're already… attuned to her, but don't let it get so bad that she starts consuming your life, because your life is not all about ZanYi, Shun. _You_ exist as yourself: don't forget that." With that, Tiki released his shirt and sat back down, quite close to Syaoran. Rethinking that move, she scooted down an inch or two. Shun watched her, half exasperated and half amused. Tiki possessed all the wisdom of her people, all the firmness of a leader… and all the subtlety of a gun. And she and Syaoran had been behaving quite strangely around each other lately—Shun had not been so distracted as to miss that. He just wasn't sure what it meant.

"Is your family eating with us, Syaoran?" Tiki ventured to ask, her eyes on her food; it was becoming harder and harder for her to meet the Avatar's eyes lately. His progress in airbending had increased exponentially, something the tiny airbender was smugly proud of. She tended to avoid the hugs nowadays, though, because physical contact with Syaoran embarrassed her. Tiki kind of wished she could just forget about these feelings—they made her life awkward, and it took a near-death experience for her to finally realize they were there.

And they were one-sided, she was sure: Syaoran had been attracted to ZanYi, a woman who was the exact opposite of who Tiki was… and who people actually believed she was a woman. No one mistook her for a child. Tiki just couldn't measure up. But she was fine with that—mostly. Tiki didn't want to be ZanYi. She was finally starting to accept herself as a person, and that kind of peace made her really happy. She changed for herself, but she wouldn't do it for anyone else. Not even for Syaoran, feelings or no feelings.

Syaoran grimaced and shushed her, looking around him warily, expecting Sora to show up just at the mention. "Don't say that," he urged Tiki in a low voice. "You'll jinx me." Granted, Syaoran was not one for superstition or anything otherworldly. But he did believe in his bad luck, as it was proven to exist time and time again. "I just shook Sora before coming to dinner. I'd like at least one meal in peace."

What was being the Avatar like? Was fire hot? Was air cold? Did he get the forms confused a lot? Had he killed anybody lately? Anybody on accident?

That was just an inkling of the kinds of questions Sora would spout off in succession. The Avatar loved his sister. He really did. And he was beyond relieved that her and his mother were safe and sound. But without his father around to balance things out, those two females grated on him quick, between his sister's chattiness and never-ending questions, and his mother's relentless and rigid opinions.

From his seat, Syaoran was able to see to the dining hall doors, and it was by sure luck that he saw the flash of the familiar raven ponytail as the lieutenant bustled down the hall. "Sighting!" he declared quickly, a miracle. ZanYi was certainly doing a great job of being elusive, and she certainly hadn't been seen around the dining hall. It was like a triumph in and of itself just to spot her.

Tiki was about to scold Syaoran for his lack of desire to be with his mother and sister—family was family—when his sudden exclamation startled her. She had whipped her head around, but too late: ZanYi was already gone.

"You talking about Lieutenant Tsong?"

Syaoran turned to the gruff voice behind him, finding Ransik. When the Avatar nodded, the elder waterbender frowned. "If you guys were looking for her," Ransik continued somberly, "she's probably off to clean out her brother's office. The new sergeant major was officially appointed today."

Tiki turned to Ransik then, surprised. "Already?" she questioned, frowning in concern. It had only been two weeks… how had they found a replacement that quickly? Ransik shrugged a shoulder, but his eyes were tight.

"It's war, kid, and two weeks is a long time in a war. Time stands still for no one," he reminded her before moving on to where Sikka waited for him. Tiki shook her head.

"That's terrible," she sighed, turning back to their table. "But I guess he's right—they needed someone to take Zaron's place… I wonder who the new sergeant major will be." Tiki looked up to ask Shun what he thought, only to realize that Shun was no longer sitting at the table. Swiveling her head about once more, the tiny airbender spotted him as he was leaving the dining hall. "He's nothing if not dedicated…" she mumbled with another sigh before looking up at Syaoran. "What do you think will happen to ZanYi now? Do you think she'll… leave Team Avatar?" Tiki really, really hoped not. If ZanYi decided that she no longer wanted to be a part of Team Avatar, Shun would die.

Syaoran put down his fork and sighed, conflicted. "Honestly, Tiki? I have no idea," he told her truthfully, looking at the door Shun had just hustled out of. It always seemed like it was ZanYi walking away, leaving them behind. They all knew she cared—in various capacities—but she was the one most willing to make that walk.

The lieutenant was accustomed to a military life, where everything changed in a matter of minutes. She was fine with moving from place to place. But this time… this time wasn't like before, when she left feeling she was needed more elsewhere. This time she was just… slipping away from them.

"She only stayed because she was wanted for treason and could be of the most help to us. But now with Sergeant Major Tsong gone and the general working on fixing the problem concerning her arrest…" Syaoran turned to face Tiki, a bit disheartened, "I don't know where she's going to go."

Tiki's gray eyes turned stormy. This was an unfortunate situation all around. It felt like every life-changing decision was happening at once these days, decisions that had to be quick and firm, with little room for doubt. Too many things were changing, and she didn't like it at all.

…Well… she didn't like most of it. Her new, strange feelings towards Syaoran were… difficult, but she could not bring herself to regret having them.

The tiny airbender reached up to touch her amulet, the artifact resting in the palm of her hand as she contemplated it. Tiki had duties that she needed to attend to as well, duties that made her think about her position on the team. She would be sad to leave Team Avatar—especially since they seemed to already be losing ZanYi—but her people did need her. From what Tiki knew of the letters she received from Kaze on Southern Air Island, the temporary council that had been put in place was fairly successful in their endeavors. However, the absence of a proper figurehead was obvious, and Kaze was constantly asking her when she would be able to take her mother's place as councilwoman. Tiki had put it off because Syaoran still had yet to learn airbending, and she had a prior duty to him.

But very soon, Syaoran would be airbending like a pro, and he wouldn't need her help anymore. Which led Tiki to her next question: would it be better for her to return to her people after the Avatar's airbending training was complete? Just how long could they wait for her before their flimsy government collapsed and chaos erupted?

How long could Tiki justify staying by Syaoran's side?

Syaoran watched as Tiki's face clouded over, furrowed in thought. When her face looked like that, it was never a good thing. It usually meant either something was bothering her… or something was going to bother her. Either way, it wasn't good.

"You've got something on your mind," he observed the obvious, turning his body so that way he was fully facing the airbender. He propped an elbow up on the table to rest his cheek on his fist. Eyes roaming her face, they searched for the answer, like it should be obvious as well. Then again, Tiki was usually pretty obvious. "What're you thinking about? Is this because ZanYi might leave? What's up?"

Tiki sighed, closing her fingers around the amulet. To confide, or not to confide…?

"I'm thinking about… the future," she explained vaguely, glancing up at Syaoran and then away. "I feel like… everything's changing. It's making me think about where I am… and where I should be."

Stay or go? Avatar or airbenders? Her desires or her duty? The two extremes in Tiki's life sadly had no balance, something she would have preferred. It was either one or the other… and such a decision was not that easy to make. She would need more time to seriously consider it… if she could let go of her feelings long enough.

Syaoran almost rolled his eyes. After all, last time she'd been thinking about 'the future', she was buying into her aunt's ravings about getting married and having airbender babies. If everything lately hadn't been so shell-shocking, he would have assumed it was that again. But Tiki was right this time: everything was changing. For good and bad. It was hard to grapple with. Nothing was like how it was in the beginning. They had been a rag-tag team thrown together by circumstances. Since then so much has changed. Tiki lost her parents. Shun found love. ZanYi lost the last of her family. They were not the same team that had started off together.

"Well, it's your life. You get to choose," the Avatar told her with a shrug. "But no matter what you choose, you've got Shun and I to back you up. And you know if you were ever in trouble, even ZanYi would come. So don't sweat it. You've got back-up."

Tiki smiled faintly. She appreciated the support, but it wasn't what she needed at the moment. What she needed was answers. Syaoran was both right and wrong—it was Tiki's life, but it was her life to dedicate to something, be it the Avatar or her duties as councilwoman. She considered herself a servant to the world—the hard part was figuring out where her services were most needed: with Syaoran? or with her people?

As Tiki had told his mother, Syaoran had the might of the Resistance on his side. He was well protected, even when he didn't want to be. Even if Tiki left, he would remain that way… as long as someone kept an eye on him to make sure something like him being strangled never happened again…

But the airbenders did not have that kind of support. Without a proper leader, their voices could not be heard. A council without a leader could only last so long before people would begin to wonder where their true leader was. The airbenders needed Tiki, and Tiki alone.

The tiny airbender sighed. She wasn't thrilled, but she supposed she had her answer now. "Then I know what I have to do, I guess," she mumbled, swinging her legs over the bench she sat on to stand up. Glancing at Syaoran, she asked, "Do you think Ransik would know if they keep messenger hawks on base? I need to send a letter to Kaze."

Kaze? The Avatar's brow puckered. That distant relative of hers they'd run into at her old home? What did he have to do with anything? Unless the future Tiki had been talking about _was_ along the lines of the airbenders…?

Syaoran was almost reluctant to even ask what decision she had just made. Anything having to do with the airbenders usually meant she was sacrificing her own freedom, her own will. And Syaoran didn't like that at all. Instead of bringing that up, he answered her, "I doubt they would. Only Master Fei is archaic enough to still use those things, aside from ZanYi and her brother…" Syaoran wasn't even going to suggest that she ask ZanYi to borrow Xie Xie. That just sounded like a bad idea on so many levels. "Besides," he pushed on, standing up himself, stretching his arms, "even if they did, I don't think they'd let you use one, not tonight. We saw that big storm rolling in earlier, remember? Even the guards are reducing their rounds tonight to stay out of it as much as possible."

Which meant that whatever decision she had come to, it had to wait. That would give her more time to think. She had to think. She couldn't make big decisions so fast. Not without talking to the rest of the team about it, right?

Tiki groaned. She hated waiting to make a decision—it gave her too much time to second-guess herself. She hated second-guessing herself even more than sitting on decisions. Once she wrote the letter and sent it to Kaze, it was out of her hands and she could not go back—she would be bound to her word. But the storm could not be denied after all; Tiki heard the rumbling above and sighed. It would have to wait, then.

"Doesn't mean I can't still write him the letter…" she speculated to herself, a finger tapping her chin. "I just need some paper and a pen…" And she had those items. She had used them as doodle pages to entertain Kei and herself; now they would be put to a greater purpose.

"I'll see you later, Syaoran," Tiki told the Avatar, flashing him a brief smile before she left the dining hall, headed to her own room. If she put her reply down on paper, she would be less inclined to change her mind, since that would be a waste of ink and paper. And this gave her time to actually articulate what she wanted to express.

Kaze would be pleased: as soon as Syaoran had satisfactorily completed his airbending training, she would return to the airbenders and become the councilwoman they had all been waiting for.

* * *

The giant waterbender made his way through the halls, beating the familiar path to the sergeant major's office. The last time he had been here had been a marginally happier time, despite him re-telling another one of his worst nightmares. Zaron had still been alive, and ZanYi had been almost happy…

Shun paused outside the former sergeant major's office, but only briefly. He could hear shuffling inside—ZanYi was inside all right. And she had avoided him long enough. Gathering his nerve, the giant waterbender grasped the handle, opened the door, and stepped inside the office that once belonged to Zaron Tsong.

The entrance seemed to startle ZanYi, because she sat up straight really fast, whirling to face the door. She hadn't expected anyone, and it was enough to cause flames to almost rise to her hands instinctually. But she kept it at bay, her control tighter than ever. There was no excuse for her to lose control; ZanYi refused to. Not again.

She wasn't sure what to think about the intruder being Shun, but not even acknowledging him further, the lieutenant went back to cleaning out her brother's drawers. ZanYi piled everything that his replacement wouldn't need in a box on his desk. She had to get this done and over with. The new sergeant major would have to settle into the office soon, and she did not want her time in the room to overlap with that. Besides, she had plenty of work she could get back to.

Shun quietly shut the door behind him, this scene in no way familiar in any sense of the word. Really, he would have preferred ZanYi being angry at him for something he had said; he could always apologize or justify himself if it was something like that. He would take anything but this… aloofness, this awkwardness between them. It made him feel hollow inside.

"…Do you need help?" he offered, taking a hesitant step forward. The office now had a strange, clean, sterile look to it. Being vacated in preparation for its new owner… Shun's heart clenched at the thought. He didn't want ZanYi to be alone as she did this, at least. Even if she wore a mask nowadays to hide her pain, Shun knew she still felt it. The raw anger she felt that day when she burned him was evidence enough.

The concern was obvious in Shun's voice. It was a tone she knew all too well. It used to bother her. Now… now she wasn't sure if it made her feel anything at all.

But that was okay. That just meant that she wasn't hurting, wasn't weak. She accepted that Zaron was gone. Nothing was going to change that. She had been upset initially, but now the lieutenant had everything under control. There was no need for Shun's worry.

"No," ZanYi answered simply, continuing to pack things up off the desk then.

Shun frowned. ZanYi hadn't even bothered to look at him… and that cut deep.

"All right: new question." Shun crossed the room, keeping the desk between them as he stared at ZanYi. "Are you ever going to speak to me again? Or even look at me?"

Shun wasn't stupid: he knew something was wrong with them as much as it was with ZanYi personally. He thought, if he gave her the space she wanted, that ZanYi would come and talk to him when she was ready. Two weeks had gone by: she either still wasn't ready, or she didn't want to talk to him at all. Shun had to know what was going on. This was affecting him so much that he was having trouble sleeping, and he could barely eat.

Tiki was right: ZanYi WAS consuming his life.

The question made her falter, but only for half a second. ZanYi could not allow her feelings to rear back up, to take the reigns. If they did… she was almost afraid they'd swallow her whole.

"I am talking to you," she told him. Her gold eyes lifted from the desk to meet Shun's gaze. And the lieutenant instantly regretted it. But ZanYi refused to flinch. She could see everything he was feeling on his face, in his eyes. Dark circles were starting to shadow under his gaze. He looked hurt. He looked anxious. He looked concerned.

And ZanYi couldn't deal with that right now.

"And now I've looked at you," she continued, finishing up Zaron's desk. ZanYi turned away to reach for the remnants on the desktop, finding the sole thing remaining was the one picture frame in the entire room. Zaron had never been sentimental. But the only picture was the day she'd finished basic training. He'd managed to get off rotation to come for that…

Roughly shoving the picture into the box, ZanYi closed it up quick and picked it up, heading for the door. "Now, I've got things to do."

Reflex reaction: Shun reached out, grasping ZanYi's upper arm before she could leave. But the fiery reminder of what happened last time he had dared to touch her flashed through his mind. Slowly, reluctantly, Shun let his hand drop to his side, his defeated gaze going to the floor. ZanYi may have been standing right in front of him, but she felt like she was a million miles away from him, always walking forward, never looking back, even when he called her name. It didn't matter how hard he tried to get through to her—he just couldn't reach her.

ZanYi flinched and froze at the touch.

_"GET DOWN!"_ Zaron's shout echoed in her ears, brought her back to right before the grenade had hit them, when he'd grabbed her to get her out of the way. It made her shudder and she almost dropped the box in her arms.

His voice was always ringing in her head, haunting her every waking moment—and when she would try to sleep. One of the many reasons she wasn't really sleeping anymore. But Zaron's room was more isolated from everything else; no one could hear her up in the night there.

Thunder rolled above the ground around them and it made her stiffen, forcing her face to remain impassive. Every loud sound could make her jump right now—everything sounded like the grenade blowing up, blasting them back, killing Zaron…

She had to go. Had to get away from Shun's sight. He would be able to tell. He would think something was wrong. And nothing could be wrong with her. Zaron was dead. That was a fact. She would get over it just fine. She was fine.

Taking a deep breath, ZanYi hurried out of the office, making quick steps to go put the box in her brother's room. After that… well, maybe it was time to get some get more physical, get some training in.

And Shun let her go. He just… let her go. There was nothing he could do. ZanYi wanted nothing to do with him. It was pointless to try and reach her. It was hopeless.

Now feeling thoroughly depressed, the giant waterbender decided that now would be a good time to go to bed, before the storm kicked in full swing. He just wanted this day to be over.

* * *

The rain showered in a thunderous downpour in the tempest night. Every drop felt like a bullet, racing to the ground, heavy and hard. But that didn't matter to ZanYi. It was a warm rain that drenched her body, flames causing the forest to steam up around her and crawl the earth. But it felt good. It felt normal.

She executed every move with a deadly precision. Control. That's what she needed. She needed control. In some ways, she had more now than ever. Every inch of her body was under her mastery, every step and movement purposeful and accurate. And doing it all out there in the storm? It made her feel like everything was normal.

It had been so long since the last time she'd been out to practice in the rain—even longer since the last storm. But it made her work, made her work harder to fan her fire into reality. Oh, how she wished she could have been out in that last gale, but Shun had needed her…

ZanYi let out a growl. No. She couldn't think about him. Wouldn't think about him. Wouldn't think of the way he'd looked so discouraged when he'd finally seen her earlier, how he seemed at a loss for words.

It made her think of him all the more and she had to stop, just let the rain fall down on her. Pulling it out from her drenched tank-top, the lieutenant looked at the fang around her neck. Shun said he'd always be there for her, would never leave her side. She believed him. It was Shun.

But Zaron had broken his promise. He had promised her similar things. And he broke that promise. Her brother was the only person in the world that she trusted without hesitation or thought—now he wasn't even in this world.

Feeling the emotions swell back up, threatening to escape from her throat, ZanYi pushed the thoughts away. No. She had to be in control. If she was in control, she was okay. And she had to be okay, had to keep going, had to keep on fighting…

The need to step things up, to focus more, became evident. So ZanYi went to the next level after firebending.

Lightning.

Trying to focus the chi in her hands, the lieutenant could feel the electrical current slowly building, as if amplified by the storm: the rain, the lightning. Clapping her hands together, ZanYi slowly began to pull them apart, concentrating on the cackling and crackling lightning growing between her hands. More power. More lightning. More focus. More control.

Less Zaron.

And that's when it all fell apart. ZanYi couldn't even get out a scream as the lightning broke free and shot her. Her entire body felt like it was on fire from the inside, the water drenching her clothes and skin making it hurt all the more. It was so painful, and she wretched and writhed under its wrath.

With what little concentration she had left, the lieutenant redirected some of the lightning, striking a nearby tree and causing it to crack down. She did the same thing. ZanYi crumbled down as the lightning left her, falling to sprawl across the ground with a heavy sound. And she didn't get back up.

* * *

_The storm outside was raging. Shun could see it through the small window in the even smaller room they kept him in. He had never seen a storm this bad before. It intrigued as well as terrified him. And he knew his share of terror…_

_The lock on the door clicked open. Oh no. They were coming for him again. They would run 'tests' on him, jab his skin with needles, inject him with liquids that would make him sick for days, torture him until he couldn't take any more, until he begged for death… no, no… stay back… STAY BACK!_

The giant waterbender jerked awake, the move so violent that he ended up crashing to the floor. Slowly, he sat up, panting and swallowing convulsively. Another dream—no, a nightmare. No. A reliving of a horrible memory. They were coming more frequently now, but Shun couldn't figure out what the cause was… maybe it was his general unhappiness.

His face was wet. Had he been crying in his sleep again? Or was this sweat? Either way, Shun had to get out of there. He couldn't stay in his room for another minute or it would drive him mad. Struggling to his feet, the giant waterbender hurried out as fast as he could, getting careless and hitting his head on the doorframe, harder than he ever had. Other than an audible hiss, Shun barely acknowledged it, stumbling his way to the entrance of the base. There was only one guard there for the moment, something Shun would have found strange, if he were in his right mind.

"Let me out," he said the guard, who eyed him suspiciously.

"Are you daft? It's pouring out there! Waterbender or not—!" the guard's judgment was cut short; Shun had him by the collar of his uniform, bringing the man closer so that they were almost nose-to-nose.

"I said," Shun growled, his voice dangerously low, "_let me out._"

The guard must have seen something in Shun's eyes to convince him—or perhaps it was simply sheer terror—for a couple stomps later, Shun was exactly where he wanted to be: out in the downpour. It was pitch black outside, save for the occasional lightning streak, but Shun didn't mind. He didn't need to see. He just needed to move, to bend, to do _something_ other than think for a while. His body automatically fell into the familiar patterns of his bending, the feeling natural. As Shun weaved the rain into something greater, he felt powerful, like a spirit, like he was capable of absolutely anything…

…Except for when it came to getting his life together.

And it all rushed back: ZanYi's rejection, his hellish childhood, his MIA family, his freakish abilities, even as a bender… everything came crashing down at once on the giant waterbender's shoulders. His concentration broken, the water he was bending fell down in a torrent on him, forcing him to the ground. Not that he minded, not that he even cared anymore. He was already lower than low. Sitting on the ground made no difference. Shun drew in a shuddering breath, running his hands through his soaked hair to fold and rest at the base of his neck, letting the rain pound at his back and head. What the waterbender would not give to be free from his emotions for just a little while, to not be able to feel anything at all. The deceased had it so easy.

A sharp sound in the trees had started Shun out of his mental spiral. What was that? Had lightning struck down one of the trees in the forest? That wasn't good. Come to think of it, wasn't it dangerous for him to be sitting outside during a thunderstorm? What was he thinking?

Shun shook his head, feeling waterlogged. He shouldn't be out here. It was time to go inside, or he would be the next one to be struck by lightning.

The giant waterbender got up, and was on his way back into the base when a commotion began behind him. Turning in mild interest, Shun paused to see a guard he had never seen before rush out of the forest, his arms laden with something… or someone…

As soon as Shun's eyes set on ZanYi's face, his heart ceased to beat.

"Somebody, get the healers!" the guard shouted to his fellow guard.

"What?!"

"Wake up some of the healers! Immediately!" the guard yelled again to the one who stood sentinel at the entrance to the base. "Lieutenant Tsong is down. She's barely breathing!"

The guard, an earthbender, and a new guy in town at that, looked speechless. He'd drawn the short straw, be the one that had to go out in the storm to do rounds. He didn't expect this. Training didn't allow for situations like this. He looked down at ZanYi in his grasp, struggling to carry her from where he'd found her. She was deadweight, and her pulse almost impossible to find. Her breathing was nearly nonexistent. And there was this awful, sprawling burn on the left side of her chest bone, right above where her heart was…

"Hurry! She's not going to last much longer!" the earthbender urged his teammate again, rushing try to get the lieutenant inside. She needed emergency help. Bad. Or else.

Shun was in shock. What happened? Why was ZanYi out here? Why did she look like that? Why was she barely breathing?! He closed in on the guard, his sudden appearance startling the poor man. "Give her to me!" Shun demanded, already summoning water to aid him. Looking equally relieved and frightened, the guard handed ZanYi over. Her face was pale, her body too still. And she was barely breathing, just like the guard had said…

Shun rushed ZanYi inside, moving her to the ground as soon as they were in a dry place. His hands still encased in water, Shun ran them over the terrible burn on ZanYi's chest, willing the water particles to go deeper than flesh. His hands glowed with an unearthly blue, and Shun managed to heal the burn over her heart. But still, that was only skin deep. Shun spread his healing deeper into the wound, to reach the stuttering heart that was ZanYi's. She could not die, she would _not_ die. Shun had worked too hard to keep her alive—sometimes even having to save her from herself—for her to die of such a reckless mistake now. He would get her heart beating again. She had to breathe. She had to _live_.

And at first, nothing was happening. Her pulse was still weak, fading faster and faster…

But then, just when it was almost gone, it kept going. One beat. Two beats. Three beats. ZanYi's heart slowly started to pump again, slow and small, but purposeful and consistent. Her breathing started to even out, a cough sputtering here and there. Her eyes wouldn't open, but she was alive, creeping back to life. As soon as he felt her pulse growing stronger, Shun let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The two guards who were anxiously standing over him physically relaxed at the rise and fall of the lieutenant's chest.

"Is she—?"

"She's going to be okay," Shun affirmed it, his eyes never leaving ZanYi's face. That had been close… too close. WAY too close. And Shun was not happy about it whatsoever.

"Thank goodness," one guard mumbled to the other. "One of the Tsongs is already dead. If the other one had passed away on our watch—"

"ZanYi," Shun spoke over the guards, his tone measured… for now. "Wake up."

She didn't wake up. Her eyes didn't open. But she was alive; her heart was beating and she was breathing. Her brow wrinkled a bit.

And tears started to leak from those closed eyes.

"You promised…" she muttered, her words but a rough whisper coming from a coarse throat and breaking heart, her head lolling to the side. "You promised, Zar…"

Shun frowned. Oh, that was not fair. She had to go and be vulnerable just when Shun was ready to remind her that she should have more sense that she displayed tonight. Heaving a sigh from his core, the giant waterbender scooped ZanYi into his arms. "I'll take it from here," he assured the guards before turning away, heading back to ZanYi's room. He knew she hadn't been sleeping here the past two weeks, but it was the first thing he thought of, since he had no idea where Zaron's room was. Shun laid the lieutenant on her bed, ready to tuck her in for the night when he remembered that her clothes were soaked through. That wasn't good; he couldn't let her sleep in wet clothes. But at the thought of changing her, the giant waterbender's face grew bright red. No, he couldn't do that either. No way.

But he didn't want her to get sick either…

Shun sighed again. He was going to need help.

* * *

_Knock knock knock!_

Tiki groaned, pulling the covers over her head. It wasn't time to get up yet, her internal alarm clock told her so. And yet, someone was knocking on her door. Why?

"Tiki!" Shun's voice whispered through the door. "Wake up, please! I need your help!"

With another groan, the tiny airbender threw the covers off of her and got out of bed, padding her way over to open the door. A drenched and anxious-looking Shun stood there, his expression becoming relieved once she'd opened the door. Tiki stared blearily up at him, her mind still foggy with sleep.

"What the heck, Shun?" she wanted to know, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What's going on that you had to wake me in the middle of the night?"

"It's ZanYi," Shun replied, "I need you to undress her for me."

That cleared Tiki's head really fast. "What?"

"She was out in the storm doing something stupid—" Shun had to pause to regain control of his tone; Tiki's eyebrows were beginning to quirk. "To make a long story short, she's soaked to the bone. I… don't feel comfortable undressing her." Tiki almost smirked as Shun coughed and looked away with a faint flush on his face. Such a big man to be so intimidated by female flesh… Tiki pulled her door shut behind her with a sigh.

"All right, I'll help you. Just quit panicking."

As Tiki obligingly assisted him with that embarrassing task, Shun returned to his own room to change. He was just tugging on a dry shirt when Tiki tapped on his door.

"All done," she announced once Shun had pulled the door open.

"Thank you," he replied with a sigh of relief.

"Don't mention it." Tiki smiled briefly before a look of curiosity overtook her features. "Now, are you going to tell me what happened?"

Shun sighed, raising a hand to his forehead. If he got into this now, he was going to get mad all over again, and that anger was better saved for when ZanYi was conscious. "Tomorrow, okay? Then I can tell Syaoran too. I just don't want to leave her alone tonight."

Tiki seemed to contemplate him for a moment before she finally shrugged. "All right. I'll expect that explanation tomorrow, then. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to bed. Good night."

Shun thanked Tiki once again as she headed back to her room; she waved him off. As her door closed, Shun moved to head back into ZanYi's room. It hadn't changed since the last time he was in here really. It just looked like it hadn't been touched in a couple weeks. ZanYi was now wearing a tank top and shorts Tiki had rustled up from the lieutenant's drawers, looking peaceful in her sleep, save for the few tears that escaped her shut eyes. She was also shivering. Taking pity on her, Shun revised his original plan to sit on the floor next to her all night and chose to share the bed with her once again.

It was bittersweet, having ZanYi in his arms again, finally getting to hold her, but knowing that he could only have this because she was not awake to push him away again. He stroked her raven hair, which was still damp, though Tiki had dried it as best she could at Shun's request. The giant waterbender's gaze fell on his fanged necklace, fastened securely around ZanYi's neck. At this, he managed a tiny smile.

So she still wore the necklace he'd given her. Maybe it was out of pity—maybe she just didn't notice it anymore. Either way, it made Shun believe that maybe, just maybe, there was hope after all.

* * *

**A/N from Eva: Hi there! Been a while, hasn't it? :P Well, now we're back with our brand-new book, Water! It is my understanding that you guys have been demanding this update for a while, so you can relax now, because we have a nice long update to brighten up your weekend! You're welcome!**

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**Whew! Okay, that's all for now. I could ramble on, but this thank you list is long enough, and you guys have waited long enough for this chapter. XD So, thank you once again for everyone's continued love and support, and we hope, as always, that you've enjoyed this chapter! Please review! Have an amazing weekend! See you next week!**


	2. The Morning

**Avatar: The Warring Earth**

**Book Three—Water**

**By Twins of the Pen**

**Disclaimer: Avatar in itself belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryan Konietzko/Michael DiMartino. The only things that belong to Twins of the Pen are the original characters.**

* * *

Ow.

That was the only coherent thought that ZanYi had at first. The sensation of pain rippled through her body, but in a different way than being blown up. This pain was internal, like everything inside her was stinging, aching, burning. She grimaced. It was not a good feeling. And there was something tight around her, something warm too. But it was comfortable, almost familiar…

Opening her eyes slowly, ZanYi came face to face with Shun. Literally. Which meant…

The lieutenant looked around her. She was in her own room. In bed. With Shun. His arms around her. What was going on? She didn't remember getting here, didn't remember anything. All she remembered was practicing out in the rain last night—everything else was blank. The last time she'd been like this with Shun was…

…was before Zaron died.

Able to at least move her arms, ZanYi gripped her head, almost hoping it would stop it all—the physical pain and the emotional. "Just another dream," she muttered, closing her eyes. "It's just another dream…"

A dream. It had to be. A memory, before things had gone wrong. Dreams like this always ended the same. Sure, they started great, normal. But ZanYi could never save her brother, could never fix things. Going back to that morning before wouldn't help either. It was just a dream.

But then why did she feel like she'd been hit by a truck? Nothing was making sense.

Shun slumbered on, oblivious—for the moment—to ZanYi's anguish. He had meant to stay up all night, to make sure ZanYi would not escape in the night before he had gotten a chance to talk to her… but the giant waterbender was more comfortable than he had been in weeks, and knowing ZanYi was safe in his arms was enough to relax him enough for surrender to sleep's sweet embrace. Shun sighed in his sleep, his head inching a little closer to ZanYi's. It would be very, very nice if he could just not move for a while and stay like this for a few weeks, or a month… or two.

ZanYi opened her eyes again and stared at the sleeping giant. If this were a dream or a memory, Shun would already be awake. He was probably the one person in the world who could wake up before her consistently. So since she had never seen this before, this had to be reality.

Which meant the lieutenant was more confused than ever.

She tried to move, only to hiss in pain. Everything hurt, and with such an intensity. What happened last night? What brought her to this point? ZanYi didn't know and she hated that. But one thing she did know was that she was going to have to get out of there. Struggling, ZanYi tried to free herself from Shun's embrace. That was a difficult task on a normal day. But right now? It was impossible. It only made ZanYi gasp out in pain even trying.

Her struggles did nothing for her attempted stealthy escape—as soon as she began to move, Shun awoke immediately. He stared at the lieutenant for a minute or two in confusion: how did he get here? Was he dreaming? ZanYi was wearing a pained look on her face, and she was fighting to free herself of his grasp. Definitely not a dream, then—in his dreams, ZanYi didn't try to escape him with such determination. It was reality, then. Fantastic.

"…" Did ZanYi even remember last night? Judging from the look on her face, she was definitely feeling the aftermath. Was she attempting to escape before Shun could yell at her? Her actions of the night before caused the giant waterbender to give her a significantly dark look. Now that it was morning, ZanYi was in the doghouse with him, for a change.

Seeing Shun was awake, ZanYi froze, as if when she stopped moving, that he might fall back asleep. No such thing happened. And the giant waterbender was giving her a look she'd never seen before directed at her—unless she counted that incident with his night terrors.

Either way, Shun was upset about something. And ZanYi had no idea what was going on, let alone why he would be upset.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to push her feelings back again, harder when every shift cost her a bit of pain. She just stared back at Shun, frowning a bit, and keeping quiet. And when the silence dragged on, she dropped the silence. "What's going on?" ZanYi asked him slowly and deliberately, watching him closely. He wanted her attention? Fine. He had it now.

Shun ignored her question. He had a more pressing one. "How sore are you?" he asked her as he eyed her expression. He could understand her confusion—she probably didn't remember anything after her asinine attempt of training with lightning during a thunderstorm. Shun was trying to keep his cool, however, to build up to that. There was no need to jump down her throat just yet. Shun wanted to know just how much she remembered from the night before.

And then he would jump down her throat.

ZanYi deadpanned in response. He was ignoring the question. She didn't even know what was going on and he wasn't telling her. It was irksome. But she held that back, adding it to the pile of other things she kept there. If it weren't for the fact that he was blatantly calling her out on the pain, the lieutenant wouldn't have answered that either. "I feel like I was hit by a truck," she answered bluntly, reminiscent of herself. "Now what is going on?"

"You tell me," Shun shot back, "since when is it _ever_ a good idea to practice your lightning techniques _in the rain?_ Do you know what could have happened if I hadn't been there? You could have been in the _morgue_ right now, ZanYi! I thought you had more sense than that! Are you crazy?!" Shun realized too late that his voice was getting louder with every word he uttered. He closed his eyes and breathed, trying to calm himself down. It didn't work. "Explain that brilliant move to me, please," he demanded of ZanYi, the 'please' sardonic, "because I have to say, I am stumped." Did she have a death wish? Was that where that recklessness was coming from? Had she suddenly become suicidal? Shun didn't know. And that's what bothered him the most—he had no idea what was going on with her anymore.

And the even scarier part? ZanYi didn't either.

The lieutenant just kind of stared at him at first, almost uncomprehending. Was that what happened? ZanYi closed her eyes, trying to piece everything she remembered together. She'd gone out in the storm to practice a bit, push herself, exert herself. It had been firebending. There was a cracking sound in her memory. A bright light. Okay, maybe she had done lightning in the storm. But she never lost control with her lightning, not even in storms…

"I can't…" she mumbled, almost as confused about the answer as Shun would be. Her eyes looked around, as if there would be some answer that could come to her. Nothing did. "I… I don't know."

Had it just been an accident in the storm?

...Or had it been on purpose?

ZanYi didn't remember; she didn't know. And that was a frightening question not to have an answer to.

"You don't know? _You don't know?_"

Was she serious right now? Obviously she had to know what she was doing to produce the lightning, didn't she? And now she was going to lie there and tell him that she didn't know what she was doing?

With an angry growl, Shun pulled away from ZanYi and sat up, his hands moving to massage his temples. _Why_ was he in love with this woman? All she did was cause him heartaches and headaches, and he couldn't even stay mad at her for them. Even now, he could feel his anger slipping away, pity and love beginning to take over. He didn't want that—no way was he about to let ZanYi off the hook that easily.

Expelling a huff, Shun turned to scowl at ZanYi. "You're either going to be the death of me or you if you keep this up," he threatened darkly. "What possessed you to go out in the middle of a thunderstorm in the first place?" Granted, Shun had been out there as well… but he wasn't the one under suspicion of suicidal tendencies right now.

ZanYi sat up slowly, grimacing at the pain that ricocheted through every part of her being. Getting struck by lightning. That would do this, yeah. So she knew Shun was right that she had been working with lightning. "I…" ZanYi had to think; everything felt so scrambled in her head. It was getting hard to tell between the reality and the dreams. Everything felt like that these days. "I do that all the time during storms…" she mused to herself, holding her forehead in a hand to try and steady it, force it to work. "I was just practicing."

"Just practicing nearly got you killed," Shun spat bitterly. Had Zaron known she did things like this? Maybe, maybe not—either way, Shun wasn't sure the late sergeant major would have approved. What Shun wouldn't give right now to have him here, scolding ZanYi in his place for such dangerous behavior…

"Is this your way of getting back at him?" the giant waterbender found himself saying. It was a low blow, Shun knew it. But he was speaking in anger, and could not bring himself to stop. He had to get through to ZanYi somehow—it seemed he was only able to do it when he was making her mad. "Now that he's not here to be overprotective, you just decide to endanger your life to punish him for leaving you? Do you think Zaron would be proud of you right now?"

That was it. That was the last straw.

It didn't matter that every fiber of her being hurt. ZanYi grabbed Shun and shoved him back down on the bed roughly. She'd climbed on in an instant, ready to give him a good fiery punch. But her hands were trembling. Everything she'd been holding back was bubbling up. There was too much. Too much for her to stop it.

"Shut-up!" she yelled at him. "Shut-up, shut-up, SHUT-UP!"

Her eyes looked right into his, almost wild, desperate. Broken.

"I'm not trying to do anything but hold it all together!" ZanYi started to spat at him, glaring down at him. "I hear his voice everywhere I go! I wake up screaming at night because all I can see is him dying in front of me over and over! The line of reality and memories and dreams are so blurred sometimes, I don't even know what's going on! I know he's not proud of me, but I'm just trying to get past all of this!"

Her breath was ragged, her shoulders heaving as if she'd just hauled a heavy load. In a way, she had. ZanYi couldn't lie to herself, not any longer. She was cracking. And there was nothing she could seem to do about it.

Shun knew he had crossed the line with the unfair things he'd said. He knew he had upset ZanYi worse than he ever had before. But as he stared up at her, watching the tightly controlled mask she wore split down the middle, all he could think was: _finally._

The giant waterbender reached up, his hands closing around ZanYi's wrists, not caring if she burned him this time. He needed to say this while he still could get through to her, before she brought that mask back. "ZanYi, you can't do this by yourself," he pointed out, his voice quiet and calm now that she had adopted the yelling bit. "I know you're having a terrible time right now, with everything that's happened, but I can help you. I can support you when the days get too long. I can hold you when the nightmares haunt you. When you're lost, I can help bring you back to Earth. I'd do anything for you, ZanYi, because…"

Shun's hands tightened around ZanYi's wrists, his eyes boring into her, desperate for her to understand why he was constantly worried about her, why she drove him crazy and he always came back anyway, why he was not willing to give her up to the darkness in her life.

"…Because I love you, ZanYi."

Her mouth opened a little, but no words came out. Her brow was furrowed, but she wasn't sure if she was angry. She was shaking, but she didn't even know why anymore.

She could hear Zaron again, speaking softly to her.

_"That man cares about you… more than you realize."_

Had Zaron known? Had this been common knowledge? ZanYi didn't even know what to do with that information. And right now, she couldn't think straight to begin with, let alone process that. She ripped her wrists away from Shun to hold her head, as if that would make the voice and the thrum of pain and memories go away.

When it didn't work, still clenching her head, she allowed it to fall on Shun's chest. She could hear his heart beat violently in his chest. It made everything worse, instead of making it better to rest her head. So she ignored that tidbit for now. ZanYi couldn't add that up.

_"So let him make you happy… He won't leave you… not like me."_

There was Zaron again, echoing in her ears. Wanting it to stop, she tried to talk, to drown out the voice. "How do I know that you'll be there?" she asked him, almost daringly. "Zaron… Zaron promised me he wouldn't leave me alone… What's going to stop you from breaking your promises?" She started shaking again, and ZanYi hated that she was feeling all of this, hated feeling like she was out of control. This wasn't her. She didn't know who this woman was, but it wasn't her, not Lieutenant ZanYi Tsong. "How do I know I won't count on you to be there and then you'll just leave too?"

Shun's heart was beating too quickly in his chest, and he was further embarrassed of the fact when ZanYi laid her head down right over it. Nevertheless, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He hated that she was shaking; all he wanted to do was to reassure her, to make her feel safe again. But how was he supposed to answer her question? It wasn't like Zaron chose to leave her: once death claimed someone, there was no going back. Was ZanYi asking him to never die? He couldn't do that—he was mortal, after all. He could not dodge death forever. That, and they were kind of in the middle of a war. So how could he erase her fears and doubts without making empty promises?

"Wild ostrich horses couldn't tear me away from you," he quoted himself, remembering the words he had spoken to her from what seemed like a lifetime ago. But those words were even truer now than they were back on Southern Air Island. Those were happier times, even if the two of them were just getting over episodes of sickness. Now, in the light of the first hardship their relationship had ever faced, he was still saying those words. That had to count for something, didn't it?

"…You hear that, don't you?" he asked after a quiet moment, "How my heart sounds like it's trying to pound its way out of my chest? It only beats like that when you're around." It was a little ridiculous, frankly. Shun chuckled, still plenty embarrassed by it. But it was a good embarrassed. Moving on, the giant waterbender fell silent for a few more minutes, trying to figure out how to articulate his argument of 'presence' to ZanYi. "…What you have to understand, ZanYi, is that love isn't just a physical or emotional thing. It's also a spiritual thing. I don't just love you with my heart: I love you with my soul, too. As long as that remains true—and it will—I'll never truly leave you. My body might be gone one day… and trust me when I say that I'll do everything in my power to make sure I put up one heck of a fight before it's my time to go. But even if my body's gone, I'll still live on through the memories we've made together. You'll never be alone—my spirit will live on through you… just as Zaron's spirit does."

Shun remembered his first encounter with the death of a loved one: his grandpa, his father's father, passed away when he was five. His mother, pregnant with their sister at the time, sat him and his brothers down to explain to them that, even when a person was physically gone, they could still continue to live through memories and happy times they shared with friends and loved ones. That life was his 'spirit', his mother said. As long as they remembered Grandpa, he would never really be gone. To this day, Shun still remembered his grandfather, so he hoped that ZanYi could take some sort of solace from the teachings of a waterbending tribe mother. It might be difficult for her to understand, though—waterbenders and firebenders were very different in how they did things. Still, that didn't mean they couldn't get along, if they were of mind to.

Shun and ZanYi were proof enough of that, even when they fought.

ZanYi wanted to say that wasn't enough. It wasn't enough. She didn't want temporary; she wanted—needed something permanent, someone permanent. Zaron had been permanent to her; he wasn't going to leave her alone. Even when they were apart for long periods of time, she always knew she'd see him again, even if she worried in the mean time. Because he had never broken his word to her before; he'd never lied to her.

And now that was gone. He was gone. Zaron had been her one rock to lean on, her home. With neither of those, she was left swaying in the breeze, dependent on herself. It more than angered her that she couldn't even manage to do that right anymore. A 'spirit' was not enough for ZanYi; the haunting nightmares and echoing voices were not enough. She needed the physical being.

She needed her big brother.

And as much as she wanted to hurl all of that at Shun, to prove him wrong, the lieutenant didn't. Couldn't. Because ZanYi _wanted_ to believe Shun. She wanted to put her trust back in him, wanted to try and lean on him. He was always there—even last night apparently, even after she'd pushed him farther and farther. ZanYi wanted a rock. She wanted it to be Shun.

And deeper still, ZanYi wanted to believe the idea of Zaron being alive, even in the small capacity of a spirit inside her. It was so appealing. That part that still couldn't let go of Zaron, couldn't accept that he was gone for good this time—that part wanted to believe Shun's words rang true. She wanted her brother was alive, even in part.

Frustrated, ZanYi let out a small roar into Shun's chest. Her world was spinning upside down, her thoughts didn't make sense, and the lieutenant felt like the ground had opened up and swallowed her whole. ZanYi wanted to be stable, surefooted. Everything in her life had been structured and controlled; that life made sense. This didn't. Being so unsure of everything was such a hateful feeling, so foreign to her. It made her wonder who was really left.

"I want to believe you…" ZanYi reluctantly responded, "but I don't know if I can…"

Shun stroked ZanYi's hair as he did last night, wanting to give her comfort and reassurance. "I know it's not an easy concept to accept," he readily admitted, "but you don't have to believe right away. I'm right here, ZanYi. I'm here with you now. As long as I breathe, I'll stay by your side. Even when you try to push me away, I'll be there for you, like I was last night. So even when you feel like you're lost, just remember: I'm here, and I love you."

She could be the most frustrating creature on the planet, but Shun didn't care. He loved ZanYi, more than she could ever imagine. It felt so liberating to be able to tell her so at last, after months of keeping it hushed up. It was a shame that she couldn't have been the first to know, but life didn't always go the way one planned it to. All that mattered was that she knew now. And Shun was happy with that alone.

_"I love you, Zaza…"_

The lieutenant stiffened at the sound of the voice, her insides welled up at the words. It wasn't something he'd said often; it was understood between them. Zaron was the only one who said that to her—which was fine by her—and they weren't exactly the most forthcoming with affection. This was all so intimate for her, then. And it was coming from Shun, something she wasn't exactly equipped to handle right now. She couldn't even handle some of this before everything had happened…

Slowly, hesitantly, she dropped her hands from her head, looking up to see Shun's eyes. They said the same things his lips were uttering to her. Half of her wanted to wretch away from him; the other half wanted to embrace those vows and promises. But ZanYi knew she was not in any position to try making the rational decisions she usually did.

So she nodded to him, acknowledging his words, saying nothing. But the lieutenant pulled away from him, attempting to move off of the bed—she had soldiers to train, work to do. And she did know that she needed that. Needed some semblance of normalcy, needed things to go back to routine.

However, moving freely did not seem to be the best idea; sitting up, ZanYi keeled over, clutching her core as she hissed. Everything hurt. Lightning strikes were always bad, but it had been so long since she had been struck like that. No wonder she didn't remember it as a child. It was incredibly painful, and not an experience she was going to care to repeat.

Shun sat up in alarm, his hands going to ZanYi's shoulders. "Whoa—maybe you shouldn't move today," he suggested, frowning in concern as ZanYi leaned forward, an agonized expression on her face. Shun had healed her to save her life; there wasn't much he could do about the soreness, though. That ZanYi would have to tough out on her own. "Here, lie back down," Shun urged her, standing up to give her room. He had a feeling ZanYi wouldn't be so compliant however, seeing as how the lieutenant had a nasty habit of ignoring her own needs. It was obvious she was in pain, but if the giant waterbender knew ZanYi like he thought he did, she would put on her brave face and tough it out. It was one of those often frustrating quirks that he loved about her.

And true to form, she was indeed not compliant. ZanYi just sucked it up as much as she could. When she tried to climb out of bed, it hurt, and when her feet touched the floor, it was impossibly painful. It was hard to stand up straight. But she did it. She could deal with this. Physical pain was easier to manage; it was something she was accustomed to dealing with.

"I'm fine," she told him simply. Moving slowly past Shun, ZanYi dug through her drawer, finding one of her spare uniforms. She pulled it on over her top and shorts gingerly, trying to minimize certain movements. It was when she pulled on her jacket that she knocked into her left collarbone. The pain right there was very acute, and it made her grimace and lose her breath for a moment, falling back against the dresser. That must've been where she'd been struck. Right over her heart.

ZanYi looked down now, trying to find the scarred tissue there. But there was nothing. Shun really have must've acted fast, or at least hard. A blow like that really would have left scarring, let alone could have killed her…

A hand resting over the spot, holding down the pain, she looked to Shun again, with a furrowed brow, a mix of confusion and contemplation. He really had saved her life—again. There was something so reassuring, so normal about that that ZanYi almost sighed in relief.

Shun met her gaze with a searching look of his own. Despite the stiffness of her movements and the obvious winces on her face, she did seem okay. Still, he was afraid to leave her to her own devices—last night had scared him so much that he yelled at ZanYi about it. He _never_ yelled at ZanYi… except for last night and that one time on Roku's Island. Both times were because she had driven him out of his mind with worry.

It also worried him a bit that she had not responded to him telling her that he loved her. Did he scare her off? He couldn't really tell; he wasn't sure what her expression meant. The hand over her heart struck a chord with him, though. Crossing over to her, Shun carefully embraced the lieutenant, mindful of her soreness. He sighed, knocking his forehead against hers. If he hadn't been as stupid as her to go out into that storm last night… the giant waterbender shuddered to think what could have happened.

"Please," he begged ZanYi, anxious, terrified eyes meeting hers, "don't ever scare me like that again. If I had lost you…"

If Shun had lost ZanYi, he was not sure what he would have done… but he wasn't so sure that he wouldn't want to follow her into the afterlife.

ZanYi stared at Shun, as if still trying to pick apart the pieces of the puzzle. Knowing now that he loved her, she supposed things were starting to make more sense—the attachment was deeper for him than the mutual attraction she'd thought they had. His concern. The necklace. It made more sense.

But she didn't know what to do with that. What was she supposed to do about that? The lieutenant was struggling just to hang onto reality…

_"Look… there is more than this war. I know you've come to know this..."_

_"So let him make you happy…"_

For once, she didn't flinch away at the ghostly sound. Is this what Zaron had meant? Is this what Zaron wanted for her? ZanYi didn't know. More questions. Less answers. But she did know she couldn't make any decisions regarding Shun when it seemed like he hung to her every word; right now, that's the last thing she should do.

The lieutenant looked up at those big blue eyes she knew and took a deep breath, looking away from the waterbender. "…I'll try," ZanYi answered him at last.

Shun let out a breath. That was going to have to be the best he could hope for, for right now. Placing a tender kiss on ZanYi's forehead, he released her at last, giving her space. He still wasn't sure if he had turned her off with his confession, so he did not want to push her when she was already broken. "I'll see you later?"

It was a question, rather than a statement—Shun didn't know where this left them now, whether ZanYi was going to return to her anti-social behavior or not. He fervently hoped she would not, but he had said his peace: that he was here when she needed him, and here even when she didn't. He would just have to pray that she kept that in the back of her mind, whenever she was struggling. Shun would make good on his promises. He would make her believe in him again.

ZanYi had to think about that. She was talking to him again—for the moment. And he'd saved her life last night. Parts of this felt closer to normal for her: his embraces, his kiss, his concern. Waking up in his arms, hadn't she liked that? Or at least, she had before all of this…

But nothing was the same as it used to be. Zaron was gone. Even if—and it would've been a rare thing—she had made a mistake about Shun, at the end of the day, she always had her brother to fall back on. There was no safety net now. It was just her. And when Shun was making the promises she wanted to hear, but the very ones Zaron had broken, it was hard to figure out what to do.

ZanYi just wanted this period of mourning to pass. She wanted to be herself, wanted to be secure and confident and not feel like her emotions were going to eat her from the inside out. Now Shun knew everything, and still was adamant about never leaving her side. All the lieutenant wanted was to be left alone, to figure this all out and pretend it never happened.

And then there was Shun. He always seemed to be the exception.

Looking back to Shun's face, she pursed her lips. "Maybe…" ZanYi allowed, thinking she could give him that much.

A corner of Shun's lips pulled up into a hesitant smile. For now, it was enough.

"Then you know where to find me," he said, heading to the door. "I'm gonna go take a nap—I'm exhausted." On top of not being able to sleep well the past couple of weeks, he had been shocked out of sleep from a nightmare, and then stayed up half the night worrying about ZanYi. 'Exhausted' was a bit of an understatement. Pausing in the doorway, the giant waterbender turned to gaze at ZanYi. "Don't push yourself too hard today, okay?" he requested. But, knowing she would do whatever she wanted anyway, he smirked. "The less you get hurt, the less you'll have me fussing over you when I have to heal you. I'll see you later."

Shun entered his own room and immediately collapsed on the bed. It was cold from not being occupied the night before; the giant waterbender shivered. Everything was going to be okay… maybe not right away, but they would be. His hope had been renewed—despite him yelling at her and hurting her feelings, some part of him had gotten through to ZanYi. What happened from there, only time could tell.

* * *

It was time to get up. Tiki knew that, and yet, her body would not move. She was way too comfortable at the moment to bear getting up and facing the day. Even after she had gone back to bed after Shun had awakened her, the tiny airbender had difficulty going back to sleep, wondering just what in the world last night had been about. Shun had seemed more upset than usual, and ZanYi was out cold—the woman never stirred as Tiki helped her change. And from what Tiki understood from both Syaoran and Shun, ZanYi could be awakened and set off with just a slight touch. Just what had happened last night?

Tiki let out a huge yawn, snuggling deeper into her covers. Her internal alarm clock was raging at her, telling her that it was past time to get up. So Tiki did something she had never done before—she smashed the snooze button, silencing the instinct that told her she would regret not getting up if she didn't do it now. Just a few more minutes… Syaoran had gotten to the point where he could meditate without her encouragements. He would be fine on his own for just a few minutes, wouldn't he?

No. No, he would not.

He actually went up to see if Tiki had already beaten him topside. Not only was she not up there, but the guards on duty wouldn't even let him up. Apparently it was still raining some and they had decided to take 'extra precautions'. Syaoran didn't even want to know what that meant. The more pressing issue was that Tiki hadn't appeared. Normally she was up before him—frankly, Syaoran was always the last one up on Team Avatar if there wasn't training. How had he ended up with so many morning people on this team?

Syaoran stood outside Tiki's door, frowning. While he figured it would probably be safe to go in if the door was unlocked, the Avatar was still wary. He just did not want to risk such embarrassment and awkwardness again, not with Tiki. He much preferred their functioning relationship—friendship! It was _friendship_!

To distract himself from his thoughts, Syaoran began to pound on the door. "Tiki?" he called. "Are you awake?"

Tiki groaned, pulling the covers over her head. This could not be happening to her for a second time today.

"No. Go away," she mumbled, hugging her pillow to her. She was desperate to get back to sleep, to steal a few more minutes of slumber before she had to leave the comfort of her bed. She had done a good deed last night—she had rescued a friend from possible pneumonia. Didn't that count for anything? Wasn't she allowed just a few more minutes of sleep for that?

Tiki rolled over so that her back was to the door. Maybe if she feigned sleep, Syaoran would go away. There was no way he would dare to venture into her room after the last time he had burst in unannounced…

Tiki's face flushed red at the reminder, and she burrowed deeper under her covers. No way did she want to face Syaoran now.

Syaoran rested his fist against the door, giving it a look that was surely meant for Tiki. It was confused and agitated. Why on earth was she not getting up? Tiki was always up in the morning; she admonished him all the time for even just being a few minutes late! What hypocrisy was this? "Tiki, get up already! We have to find a new place to train today. They aren't letting anyone topside right now. So c'mon and get up already!"

Seriously, the airbender was never like this. So why today?

A long, drawn-out groan escaped the tiny airbender. Clearly, sleep was not going to happen for her this morning. "Syaoran," she growled, pulling the covers from over her head and sitting up, "just come in!" He was nearly breaking down her door anyway—what was the difference from him just barging in? Jeez!

Tiki looked down at herself and belatedly realized that she was a mess from sleeping. Her hair probably resembled a haystack, she was wearing a shirt that was so big that it kept sliding down one shoulder, and she wasn't wearing a bra. That was just an awkward moment waiting to happen.

The tiny airbender jumped up, suddenly frantic. She couldn't let Syaoran see her like this! Granted, the Avatar probably would not care what she looked like, but even so, her pride was at stake! "Wait, hold on! Don't come in yet!" she shouted, rushing over to her drawers to change into something more suitable. As she rushed around her room akin to a mini tornado, the letter she had written for Kaze was blown off her desk without her notice. It floated to the ground under her chair, the one she sat in a second later to inspect her reflection as she hastily ran a brush through her long hair. Once she felt she was presentable, Tiki summoned Syaoran once again.

"Okay, you can come in now!"

There was a moment of hesitation, as if Syaoran hadn't heard her. But he had, and he was taking a moment to process it. He was not about to barge in again. Nope. Avoiding that at all costs.

So when the door did open, it was with a slow creak, and Syaoran warily peered around the door, about ready to jump back and slam the door if need be. Thankfully, there seemed no need to be afraid, because Tiki sitting fully clothed and oddly presentable for someone who was just in bed. Upon that reassurance, the Avatar entered the room completely, the door ajar behind him.

"Someone's having a late start," he observed the obvious. "Did you hear me? We have to find somewhere else to train today."

"I heard you," Tiki affirmed before she frowned, "but before that, do you mind if we go and find Shun first? He woke me up last night to ask me to change ZanYi out of her wet clothes—apparently they were out in the storm last night for whatever reason, and something happened. She was out cold when I went to help her."

Seriously, what had that been about? Why were Shun and ZanYi outside during a thunderstorm? What sense did that make? Tiki had lost sleep over it, and now that it was morning, she wanted to know what had been going on. She helped Shun without too much question last night—the tiny airbender felt she was owed an explanation.

Syaoran then frowned. That he hadn't known about. How had he slept through all of it? If the Avatar was ever attacked in his sleep, he'd be a dead man, that's what he was learning here. But that was besides the point.

"The guards said it was still raining up there and they weren't letting anyone up because they were taking 'extra precautions'," Syaoran informed the airbender, now a bit worried himself. Nothing about this situation was good. First, ZanYi had been with Shun; as of late, that was a huge irregularity. They'd been out in a storm; also not smart. And ZanYi had been out cold? The lieutenant woke up over just about anything—and torched the offender. He could attest to that. Yet, she didn't even wake up when Tiki was changing her?

"Something's wrong," he concluded with a firm nod. "Let's go find Shun."

Tiki nodded, standing up. "All right, then. Just let me run to the bathroom really quick first. Wait here, okay?" Tiki passed Syaoran and left the room, thinking hard as she headed to the restroom. So the guards weren't letting anyone else out because they were taking 'extra precautions'? What did that mean? Surely they would not deter people from heading to the surface because of a little rain? Tiki loved rain—she enjoyed dancing in it. Something else must have happened the night before—something a lot more serious. And as soon as she returned, she and Syaoran were going to find out what.

Syaoran waved her off as she passed, then starting to just amble around her floor space. It's not like it was a very personalized room. It looked the same as everyone else's, aside from the lieutenant who had a bigger room to accommodate for the mock office space. Though, he did note, it still looked very much like it was Tiki who lived there. After all, no one else here would have such an assortment of stuff for hair as she did on her desk.

It was as he was looking over the desk that something small and white caught his eye. Gaze going to the ground, Syaoran noted the paper that sat under her chair. The Avatar reached down to pick it up, pulling back up only to see her distant relative's name addressed on it.

Syaoran looked to the door. Nothing. He preened his ears. Nothing. So it was with absolute swiftness and quietness that he opened up the letter. Syaoran was not a nosy person. He really wasn't. But considering Tiki's secrecy of her decision-making the night before, he felt like he had to know.

As his jade eyes read her printed words, the Avatar didn't regret this decision to snoop. Tiki couldn't go back. She was a part of Team Avatar. Even ZanYi was—okay, maybe that wasn't a good example in light of recent events and considering the lieutenant had already tried to leave them after he finished firebending. But seriously, the way things were going, the team needed to stay together. If Tiki left, it would be him stuck with the other two. Bad idea. If both of the females left, it would just be him and Shun… That just sounded kind of weird. Either way, this team needed to stay the way it was: four of them. It wasn't a team with any less. It wasn't their team with any less. Syaoran knew he couldn't do this alone, and at this point, there was no others that he would pick over any of them. Especially Tiki, since she had never given up on him…

Quickly pocketing the letter deep, Syaoran decided he wasn't going to let her mail this. He was determined. Tiki belonged with Team Avatar. End of story. The airbenders couldn't dictate her life, not when she was needed elsewhere. All of the other benders were getting by; so could the airbenders. And Syaoran was tired of watching Tiki feel trapped into decisions just because of her lineage.

Tiki finished up as quickly as she could to head back to her room. It was always a bad idea to keep Syaoran waiting, especially because he tended to get grouchy about it. "Ready to go?" Tiki asked, pausing in her doorframe to see Syaoran with his back to her, at her desk. What was he doing, admiring her hair clips? "What are you doing?" she asked, approaching him. There was nothing on her desk he would find interesting… had he just gotten bored waiting for her?

Thankful that he'd already stuffed the letter down in his pocket, he turned at looked at Tiki, putting on a deadpan as always. "I'm waiting. Like you said."

He let his eyes linger on Tiki, despite his aggravation. This was abandonment was a move he'd expect from the lieutenant, not the airbender. ZanYi was the one who always pushed forward. Tiki was the one that was more sentimental, held on to the important things in life, like Team Avatar. And yet, she thought she could just walk away from them all?

Not if Syaoran had anything to say about it. But if she hadn't noticed anything, then he would keep quiet on this for now.

"Now, can we get a move on and go find out what they're hiding from us this time?" he persisted, with a roll of his eyes.

Tiki frowned at him. What was wrong with him all of a sudden?

"You're crankier than usual this morning," she noted, but then shrugged her tiny shoulders. It was Syaoran, after all: if he wasn't surly about something, there was bound to be something even worse going on. "Come on—let's go." Tiki led the way out of her room, pausing just before Shun's door, contemplating it. "Knowing Shun, he should be up already having breakfast…" the tiny airbender's brows furrowed. "But do you think we should check his room first, just in case?"

"Let's go ahead and check his room," Syaoran agreed, moving over to Shun's door. "If he's here, we're not wasting time looking elsewhere." So then Syaoran started to pound on Shun's door. "Shun? You in there? Open up," he called out to the waterbender, should the giant be in his room at such a late morning hour—well, at least by this team's standards it was late.

Tiki rolled her eyes at this. "Will you stop pounding on doors? If you just knock like a normal person, you'll get the same point across," she admonished him. Where was his mother when Tiki needed her? Tiki did not know much about Shima, but she knew enough to know that the woman was not afraid to scold Syaoran in front of his peers. It was actually kind of amusing.

A second later, the door swung open to reveal Shun, looking as if he had just woken up. "Hey guys," he greeted, stifling a yawn and managing a smile. "What's up?"

Was everyone but Syaoran sleeping late today? What kind of upside-down world was this? Tiki folded her arms and eyed Shun. She felt a little bad for interrupting his sleep—she completely sympathized, in fact—but she wanted answers, and the sooner, the better.

"That's what we wanted to ask you. Mind if we come in?" the tiny airbender inquired. Shun seemed a little surprised, but he stepped to the side to allow them passage.

"Sure. Come on in."

Syaoran nodded and slipped past Shun, entering the waterbender's room. This was one he hadn't been in it—once again, not that it made a difference. They were all the same. Rectangular slabs of earth casing quarters with a bed and dresser. The Resistance surely was uniform in almost everything they did, construction included. Leaning against the desk in the room, Syaoran mounted his hands behind him to hold him up, looking at Shun curiously. The man seemed very tired, and surely had to be if he wasn't up yet. From what Syaoran could tell, normally he was the first one up out of all of them.

If Syaoran had known he could sleep in for once, he totally would have. How did he miss the memo?

"So, care to tell us what happened last night?" he asked, eying the pile of wet clothes in the corner before going back to peer at Shun.

Shun grimaced. "Ah." So that's what they wanted to talk about. He should have known. Looking to Tiki, the giant waterbender commented, "I did say I would explain everything today, didn't I?"

"Yep." Tiki moved next to Syaoran, jumping up to sit on the desk and fixing Shun with a focused stare. "So start talking, Shun."

Shun gave a sigh. How to begin…

"Well, last night I had, um, a nightmare," he admitted, only blushing a little. "I decided to go out into the rain, hoping to clear my head with a little bending. All I did was get wet… but anyway, as I was heading back inside, I heard this weird crash, and then a guard rushes over out of nowhere carrying ZanYi." Shun's eyes tightened at the memory of the lieutenant, limp and helpless in the guard's arms. That had to be one of the scariest moments of his life, and he had grown up as an experiment in an anti-bending institution. "Apparently, she had been practicing her lightning techniques—"

"—During a _thunderstorm?!_" Tiki interjected, gaping a little. There was no way ZanYi could have been that stupid… right?

Shun's gaze was solemn as he nodded, confirming Tiki's words. "Yes, during a thunderstorm… and she almost died last night."

Tiki sucked in a breath. She hadn't known that—she thought it was something less severe. No wonder Shun hadn't wanted to leave the lieutenant alone last night. "…Is she okay?"

"She's breathing," Shun replied. Honestly, he had no idea whether or not ZanYi was okay. Things were getting marginally better, he thought, but other than that, he couldn't know what was going on in the lieutenant's head… other than the fact that she was apparently hearing her dead brother's voice in her ear. But that Shun kept to himself.

Syaoran was stock-still, unable to move. "She almost…?" Syaoran couldn't finish. This wouldn't have made sense normally. ZanYi was smart. She wouldn't do such a thing. But in light of recent events and her behavior...

"ZanYi would have known better," he noted, eyes tight on the ground then. "She didn't even teach me lightning techniques because of how volatile it is; you need complete peace of mind." The lieutenant knew that incredibly well. According to Master Fei, she'd already had a brush with lightning when she was little—one with a similar result. There was no way that she was of peace of mind right now either. Which led him to an even more frightening question.

"Shun…" the Avatar started, raising his eyes up to the waterbender's, grave. "Do you think she did that… on purpose?"

Tiki gasped, shocked that Syaoran would even insinuate such a thing. "Don't say that," she said emphatically, her brows creasing. "Of course ZanYi wouldn't—!"

"I'm not sure."

Tiki turned to stare at Shun, wide-eyed. "What…?"

"I'm not sure," Shun repeated with a slow shake of her head. "I even asked her. She barely remembers that it happened, so she couldn't tell me whether she meant to do it or not. But apparently she practices in the rain all the time."

"There, you see?" Tiki said, seizing onto that one claim. "It wasn't on purpose, then."

Shun remained silent at this. To be frank, he had his doubts: ZanYi was going through a rough time, and keeping it all bottled up inside with no outlet for her emotions. When you felt all alone in the world like that, it was natural to believe that giving up was the only option…

Tiki looked between Syaoran and Shun, her scowl becoming more pronounced. "What? You think that just because ZanYi's going through a hard time that she'd actually consider suicide?"

Shun winced as the word was spoken out loud. "You didn't see her last night, Tiki," he pointed out, "she was—"

"I _did_ see her last night," the tiny airbender asserted, "and all I saw was an unconscious woman in pain. I know you two are used to her being strong, but ZanYi _just lost her brother._ He was the only family she had left! Can you imagine the pain she must be going through? Knowing that nothing will ever be the same again? How the people she relied on to always be there are suddenly ripped from her, and she has no idea which way is up anymore? Can you imagine _living_ like that?"

Tears were gathering in Tiki's eyes, and Shun felt a jolt to his system. Suddenly, he didn't think they were solely discussing ZanYi anymore.

Syaoran looked sharply over to Tiki as well, knowing exactly where this was leading. This wasn't just ZanYi; Tiki had lost her family too. And that kind of pain wasn't going away any time soon.

With a sigh, Syaoran reached over to the airbender sitting up next to him and wrapped an arm around her. "It's going to be okay, Tiki," he mumbled to her, giving her a sideways squeeze. Tiki had a difficult time holding back her emotions, but she always let them out in the end.

Tiki immediately clung to Syaoran, realizing she needed the support. As she sniffled, trying to get herself together, Shun just watched the pair of them for a moment or two. He was almost envious: Syaoran and Tiki definitely had their differences, but at least they seemed to have a reliable support system. Shun wanted that with ZanYi as well.

The same could not be said of the lieutenant, and maybe that was the problem.

"Okay, so we don't know right now whether ZanYi did it on purpose or not," Syaoran conceded, finding the middle ground for all of them on the matter. Tiki seemed convinced that ZanYi wouldn't do such a thing; Shun seemed almost ready to accept that she had. Syaoran was also inclined to agree, but he just didn't know. ZanYi could have just been pushing herself too hard—normal—or she could have thought about offing herself—possible. "So what do we do now?" Syaoran asked the group, keeping his arm around Tiki tight, trying to be reassuring as his eyes went elsewhere, gazing at Shun.

"I talked to her a little this morning," Shun responded to Syaoran's question. With a cringe, he admitted, "I, uh, kind of yelled at her, too. I think I hurt her feelings."

Tiki turned her head out of Syaoran's shoulder to give Shun a watery eye. "Was this as bad as the time you reamed her out on Roku's Island?" she asked. A corner of Shun's mouth turned down.

"Worse. I said some awful things I'll have to apologize for later, if she ever speaks to me again." The giant waterbender heaved a sigh. He had no one to blame but himself, after all. "So I guess we're right back to square one: we watch and wait." It wasn't a perfect solution, but it was the only thing they had to go on at the moment.

Syaoran was not enthused. "Well, clearly that hasn't been working out for us so far if she managed to almost get herself killed last night," he said sharply. This just wasn't good. ZanYi had tried to leave them before, and it took him and Shun to bring her back. Now she was slipping farther than ever, and on top of that, Tiki was trying to leave them?

His arm tightened around the airbender. Why did this all have to happen? Syaoran had most of his family back; they were safe and sound under the Resistance's protective eye. So why did Team Avatar have to fall apart? He couldn't have both? Apparently not: who knows if any of this would have happened if they hadn't had to add Tiki, Syaoran, and Shun into the battle… Did all of the last minute adjustments to accommodate them _and_ WeiTai cause this? Syaoran almost didn't want to know.

"We can't just sit here and wait for her anymore. Because if we keep waiting, she's not going to come back this time, and we may just lose her for good this time."

"But if we push too hard," Shun commented calmly, "we run the risk of breaking her further. I don't want that. ZanYi just needs to know that we're there for her, even when she feels like she's alone."

Tiki scrubbed at her eyes, rubbing away the moisture with some annoyance. This wasn't about her right now; it was about ZanYi, and how they could help her. "I could talk to her," the tiny airbender offered. "ZanYi may not… appreciate it. But she was there for me once. I can return the favor."

Shun nodded in approval. "I think that'll help. I believe I got through to her a little this morning, but ZanYi needs to know that the whole of Team Avatar is there for her as well. She's still an important part of this team, after all."

Tiki squirmed a bit, suddenly uncomfortable. Here they were, discussing how to best support one of their teammates, and Tiki was considering leaving. That gave her no small amount of guilt. But, she had already decided: she had to be there for her fellow airbenders. She had already written the letter and everything…

…The letter. Where was it? Come to think of it, Tiki hadn't seen it on her desk this morning. Where had it gotten to?

Unease settling in the pit of her stomach, the tiny airbender shrugged out from under Syaoran's grasp. "I, uh, need to go check on something…" she explained vaguely, dashing off to her room. Her desk was just as she had left it, save for one exception—the letter she had written to Kaze was gone. The unsettling feeling growing, Tiki searched all around her desk area, checking behind, around, and under it before she moved on to the rest of her room, searching for the vanishing letter. Where could it have gone? She finished it last night and left it on her desk! And no one else had been in her room except for—

Tiki's eyes widened in realization. Oh no. Surely, he didn't…?

The tiny airbender tore back to Shun's room, her eyes fierce as she approached Syaoran. "Syaoran. Did you take something from my desk this morning? A letter addressed to Kaze?" He better not have. Tiki would be more assured to think that the letter simply vanished rather than the Avatar rustling through her personal property. The former was a much more comforting thought.

Syaoran stiffened, feeling the weight of the letter in his pocket. But since he was already caught, there was no point in denying anything; he wasn't a liar. "No, I didn't," he said evenly, "but I did pick something up off the floor this morning." Then the Avatar fixed Tiki was an angry look, now able to just let it rip at the airbender. "Just when were you planning on telling the team that you were going to ditch us, huh? Or were you even going to tell us at all?"

Syaoran was mad. And at all of them, at this point. It was like everything was crumbling apart, and Syaoran wasn't about to stand by and just watch this happen. They had gone through far too much already to break apart now.

"You can't go, Tiki," he told her forcefully, trying to convey every word with his face as heavily as his tone. "This team is already falling apart!" Syaoran stood up straight then, hands clenched at his sides. "ZanYi just lost her only family and is quickly slipping beyond any of our reaches! Shun here can't even think straight most days because he's so worried about her! And now you want to just up and leave us? No way, Tiki! Not a chance!"

His jade eyes flickered between both Tiki and Shun, trying to keep his outrage down. It wasn't working. Maybe he was starting to panic a little. "I don't know if you guys have forgotten, but we're a **team**! If we don't stick together, then no one's there for any of us! We were all thrown into this together, but somehow it all works. And I'm tired of sitting here watching you guys fall to pieces! We're a team, and we're a family!"

His breath was coming out in puffs, his anger evident and prevalent. But Syaoran couldn't take it anymore. Something had to stop this from all coming undone before his eyes; it was time to step up and do something about it.

Tiki's face turned a blotchy red. So he _did_ read the letter. That was an invasion of her privacy! How could he? Tiki didn't care that he was getting upset—by now, she was just as angry as he was.

"You had no business going through my stuff, Syaoran," she told him with a severe look, "and for the record, yes, I _was_ going to tell you as soon as I got a response from Kaze. I thought you of all people would understand: my people _need_ me! I have a destiny to fulfill just like you do, and once you're finished with your training, there won't be a reason for me to stick around! I'm not 'ditching' you! This is something I have to do, as councilwoman of the airbenders! I can't expect them to just deal while I run around with you guys, nor will I ask them to! And I will _not_ apologize for doing what I think is right! I care about all of you, but my people need me more, and I can't justify leaving them in the lurch anymore! It's not fair to them, and I refuse to do it! I made my decision, Syaoran, and nothing you say or do is going to change my mind! Now give me back my letter!"

"Tiki—" Shun spoke up, the most shocked by the news: Tiki, Syaoran's own personal cheerleader, was leaving Team Avatar? The giant waterbender supposed he shouldn't have been surprised: the burden weighing on Tiki's shoulders was just a little less heavy than the one Syaoran had to carry. Shun just didn't think that she would choose to leave of her own free will. He had always pictured her distant cousin Kaze coming along to drag her back to the airbenders by force, not… this.

"Stay out of this, Shun!" Tiki cut him off, her stormy eyes focused on Syaoran and Syaoran alone. Shun thought about telling the tiny airbender that since they were in his room, he could not, in fact, "stay out of it"… but he didn't believe that would help matters at all. So Shun chose the wise road and kept his mouth shut.

"No, I won't!" Syaoran told Tiki point blank, stepping closer to her, glaring down at the small airbender. He didn't care how mad she was or how mad she was going to get. Syaoran was tired of taking the backseat when it came down to this team. Every single decision on this team seemed to happen either as a whole or without him even knowing. Not anymore.

"Guess what, Tiki? Your people are not the only people out there! In fact, they're only a small portion! And yet you're going to throw away Team Avatar just for that? This isn't just about the four of us! I can't do anything without you guys to make sure I don't screw up, and I've got _everybody_ riding on me! Earthbenders, waterbenders, firebenders, nonbenders, and—yes—airbenders! So if this is really about helping airbenders, you're help is better served at ending the war!"

He took another step forward, towering over her now, rigid and tall. "And you know what's not fair? Making a commitment to us, to promise to be with us, to promise to be there for me and just throw it all away! You're a lot of things, Tiki, but dishonest and unfaithful is not one of them! Your people are alive, have families and an island to call their own! We're the ones barely scraping by day to day, and yet it's them that you want to return to?"

Tiki was infuriating him with this decision. And he was not going to apologize for anything this time. She was the one betraying them. Syaoran gave her a dark look. "You're not getting this letter back. I refuse to let everything the four of us have worked so hard for fall apart now." He brushed by her roughly and walked on out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Tiki stared at the door, her chest heaving. She could no longer articulate her anger—instead, she just wanted to hit something. Syaoran was being _so_ unfair! This was not his decision to make! He made it sound like she had it so easy, like she was simply choosing to leave on a whim. This was not a decision she was making lightly, and it _killed_ her to know she had to leave them, but she had to do it! Yes, the Avatar was the emissary for all people, but right now, Tiki's people were suffering, despite what Syaoran _thought_ he knew. He wanted to be that way? Fine. It wasn't like the letter he took could not be rewritten. And that was exactly what she was going to go do.

As Tiki moved to the door, a quiet, worried voice called her back. "Tiki."

"_Don't,_" she said severely, whipping around to glare at Shun. The giant waterbender fell silent again, but his gaze spoke volumes. Remembering that it was not Shun she was angry with, the tiny airbender heaved a deep sigh. "Just… don't," she said again, but more gently this time. Her mind was made up. This was something she had to do. And Syaoran's temper was not going to sway her.

As she left, Shun heaved a sigh himself. Team Avatar was ripping at the seams right before his very eyes. There was no way he was going to sleep now.

* * *

**A/N from DJ: Messy, messy, messy... Clearly we're back in action if we're dropping bombs every week xP Good luck dodging them~ Also, WOW! The amount of love we've gotten from you guys last week was just awesome! We're so glad you're enjoying the story, and now, to the personal acknowledgements!**

**EnterprisingSmoo: First, we thank-you for your favorite and watch right off the bat! I also am relieved you now have another outlet to share your reactions that don't involve slamming me into doors with love or outrage xD As you can see, the storm abounds for all of our characters now, which I know you will rage at. Enjoy xD Also, if you're feeling like these guys are canon, then that means we're doing something right. Thank-you!**

**Puttekara: Thank-you so much for continuing to read and for the Story Alert~! I hope you enjoy Water as much you enjoyed Fire and Air!**

**Ozai37: Wow! Thanks so much for favoriting us, Water, and the Story Alert! We're so glad you changed your mind on this story! It's so hard to fit a real description in the little space we're given, so we just try to do enough justice to get people in! Once you're hooked, then we're good to go! xD I'm so happy you love Tiki and ZanYi - all of our characters have their own story and background, and those two are especially rich~**

**Masseffect321: Thanks for the Author Alert, Story Alert, and favorite right off the bat! Was the wake-up all the awkward you hoped for? I hope so xD You were a little late, but it's all good! Now you'll never be behind on an update again! xD**

**Same Guest: Hooray! You live! Dude, I know how work goes, so it's all good! We're just happy you're still with us! I'm so glad the finale for Air completely enraptured you, because that means we wrote it as intensely as it deserved to be. Good job picking up on our little cues of the elements in the writing! We try to capture the right themes at the right times! As for what happens to the team... well, you'll just have to wait and see! xP**

**AndreasBruckert: Hey there! That's a name I recognize as a long-time reader! Thanks so much for your continued support, this time through a Story Alert and Favorite! Hope you enjoy Water!**

**ANewbutOldGuest: Glad to know we have another old fan! Thanks so much for sticking with us for so long! We do love enthusiasm from our readers, but this is no replacement for real life. We want you to enjoy both, so we hope that you do!**

**Wow! So much to go through xD Hope you guys enjoyed this week's chappie! Also, a quick shout-out to my co-writer, Eva, because she had a birthday this week! She survived another year, HOORAY! Now, that's a wrap! See you next week!**


	3. The Compromise

**Avatar: The Warring Earth**

**Book Three—Water**

**By Twins of the Pen**

**Disclaimer: Avatar in itself belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryan Konietzko/Michael DiMartino. The only things that belong to Twins of the Pen are the original characters.**

* * *

"Shun Jiang?"

The call came from one of the guards, the one who had found ZanYi in the storm. Though, at this point, that was days ago. And the guard certainly felt less hesitant talking to the waterbender than the other members of Team Avatar. Every day, it was almost painful to watch the Avatar and the little airbender train. It was cold, and awkward. Syaoran seemed to be making purposeful mistakes; Tiki was forcibly harder on him. And it was almost silent between them.

It was just creepy and loaded.

But that's not why the guard had to talk to Shun. Not at all. "General Chen wants you to come by his office when you can," he said to the waterbender.

Shun, though surprised, nodded in acknowledgement. "Thanks, I'll go see him now."

As the giant waterbender headed to the general's office, he wondered to himself what it could be about… though if he had to guess, it was probably about the way Team Avatar was falling apart. Tiki and Syaoran were no longer speaking to each other, which made Syaoran's airbending training terribly awkward. Shun had to excuse himself from watching every time; he only stayed long enough to make sure the guards were watching, in case the two clashing elements tried to kill each other. And ZanYi still wasn't around and was busy as ever, though sometimes their eyes met when they happened to pass each other in the halls. All in all, it was madness, and Shun had no idea what he should do about it. He was as lost with Tiki and Syaoran as he was with ZanYi.

Reaching General Chen's office, Shun took a deep breath and knocked before entering. "You wanted to see me, General?" he asked, peeking his head in as he slowly opened the door. General Chen looked up from the work on his desk and nodded, gesturing for Shun to come in and close the door behind him. Standing up, the man surveyed Shun, as if trying to take in the waterbender's overall state. Exhausted. Weary. Worn. Duly noted.

"So, rumor mill says that Team Avatar has hit a bit of a rough patch?" the elder man asked, allowing his hands to rest on his sides.

Shun heaved a deep sigh. So they were the talk of the base as well, were they? Fantastic.

"That would be an understatement, sir," Shun replied, raising a hand to rub his temple. "The Avatar and Tiki aren't speaking to each other but forcing themselves to work together, and it's been days since ZanYi's said two words to me. If I'm going to be honest, I'd have to admit that our 'team' isn't even behaving like a team anymore. Things have taken a turn for the worse and… I'm afraid I don't know how to steer things back to normal." Shun sighed again. What he wouldn't give for normal right now. Syaoran and Tiki and whatever they had between them was making them both stubborn; neither wanted to apologize to the other, though Shun had implored both sides to do so. And ZanYi… ZanYi was still very much lost. Shun needed her help more than ever right now. He just didn't know how to ask for it.

The general seemed to take that in stride, as if expecting it. But that didn't seem to satisfy him. Then again, who would that satisfy? Team Avatar was a team based around the world's best hope, and it was crumbling in several different directions.

General Chen moved then around his desk, a file in hand, disgruntled. "Rumor Mill also has it that in recent months, it seems that the person to ask questions concerning the lieutenant is you," he noted. General Chen lifted his eyes from the file and looked to Shun. "So tell me: what's your opinion on Lieutenant's Tsong's well-being? You two were... close friends, from what I hear."

Shun's face turned bright red, distracted by knowing that 'close friends' was an understatement before all this mess. Hopefully that much hadn't leaked, but then again, he was partially to blame for any insinuations at all, since the dogtags he wore so openly bore ZanYi's name. He gripped those tags now in a self-conscious fashion, as if they gave him strength whenever he touched them.

"I… don't know anymore," he admitted, looking crestfallen. "The last time we talked, she had nearly killed herself with a lightning strike the night before. I was upset with her… but I think we managed to work some things out. Maybe. She's just having a really tough time right now." Shun sighed. How was he supposed to answer this question if ZanYi no longer spoke to him? He could only sneak glances at her from afar, because she never stayed in one place for too long. Keeping busy, as always. He still clung to the hope that she would come around, but so far, it was slow-going. What else could he do?

It was almost a dismayed sigh that left the general's throat. "Of course she is," General Chen agreed. He may be free, but that did not mean that it was without a cost. So much had fallen through the cracks in his time incarcerated. And his freedom had cost a very important life—to the Resistance, and to certain individuals.

"What I am about to discuss with you is private, and I expect discretion on this matter," the general started again, leveling Shun a look that clearly said discretion was equivalent to no one. He shut the file and laid it on his desk; ZanYi's military photo was pinned on top of it. "Since the lightning incident, I've had to start an investigation on Lieutenant Tsong. No such events can happen on base and go without. Which means I have had to dig into old files, psych evaluations."

The general looked to Shun, serious in his questioning. "Have there been any signs of PTSD? Or have her night terrors started up again? And I need to know. I've got soldiers on the line here."

But the waterbender was silent. PTSD? Night terrors? And _again_? How was Shun supposed to know when ZanYi hadn't been around him for days? He was usually too busy fighting off his own inner demons to worry about anyone else's, but he had never known ZanYi to have night terrors… but wait… the last time they talked, didn't she say…?

"…She told me," Shun began, struggling with the words, as if ZanYi was actually there in the room, her hand over his mouth to prevent him from speaking. Sending a silent apology her way, the giant waterbender continued, "the last time we talked, she claimed that she could hear her brother's voice everywhere, and that… she woke up in the middle of the night screaming, because all she could see was Zaron dying in front of her again and again…" Shun stopped and took a breath. He was feeling her agony again, empathizing so much that his chest actually hurt for her. He had to get a hold of himself. "…That's all I know," he finished, looking to General Chen. "If you have any idea how we can help her, I'm all ears, General."

The general said nothing, and when he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, he was beginning to look his age. Worn. Tired. Conflicted. Aged. Definitely not the same man that Shun had met back in the spring. "That's not good news," he muttered, a look sent over at the file on his desk. Walking back behind his desk, he touched the file, as if regretting all of this. However, the man stayed firm, sure and rigid. "I was afraid this would happen again," he said bitterly. Looking back to the waterbender, General Chen nodded to him. "Thank-you. That's all I needed to know. The matter with Team Avatar will be addressed soon. You can see yourself out." He sat down at his desk again, but then fixed the giant a warning look. "Remember, Jiang: discretion."

"Of course," Shun said. He dipped his head as a sign of respect and let himself out of the office, heaving yet another sigh.

"If you sigh like that, you'll lose your soul," another voice joked, familiar and light to the ears.

"Hi Sikka," Shun greeted, turning to see the waterbending woman approaching. "How's it going?"

Sikka gave him a cursory glance before she answered. "Better than you, it seems." Shun gave a weak chuckle.

"I'll be all right. We'll be all right," he amended, remembering that he and his team seemed to be causing quite the gossip. "It's just been… rough. For all of us."

Sikka's face puckered in concern. She herself had heard the rumors floating around the base, and had done her part to keep the chatter down when she was around. But looking at Shun's face, Sikka had to wonder just how much of the stories were true. "Do you want to have lunch with me and Ransik?" she offered with a hesitant smile. "Maybe to just get away from the madness for a bit?"

Shun thought of the expression Ransik would wear if his fiancée invited another man to sit with them while they ate lunch—especially one she had been previously interested in. He shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. I have to keep an eye on Tiki and Syaoran. They're not above fighting at the lunch table."

"All right," Sikka accepted with a nod. Reaching out, she patted the giant waterbender gently on the arm. "I hope things work out for you soon, Shun."

"Thanks…" Shun replied, but she had already walked away. Trying not to sigh so deeply this time, the giant waterbender made his way back to his room for the time being. If lunchtime was nearing, that meant that Tiki would come to get him soon. She preferred to chat at him and pretend that Syaoran wasn't there while he sat at the same table with his mother and sister. If they ever exchanged words, it was to trade verbal barbs until either Shima or Shun intervened. Meal times weren't very pleasant these days. All Shun could do was hope that General Chen made good on his promise… and soon.

* * *

"…I'm done."

The words were spat with no small amount of contempt, which is all Tiki could harbor for the Avatar these days. The frustrating part was that he was behaving just as coldly, and they were getting nowhere with his training. Tiki was beginning to think he was frustrating her out of spite. It took all her willpower to not demand that he spar with her, just because she was afraid she would not stop fighting with Syaoran until she passed out. The whole situation was infuriating, and there was nothing she could do about it without sacrificing her pride.

Turning her back on the Avatar, Tiki left the ground above to head back into the base. She was hardly hungry these days, but Shun had enough to worry about without her not eating, so she forced herself to eat for his sake. Poor guy, to be trapped in the middle of all of this… Tiki pitied him, she really did.

Syaoran nodded stiffly, walking into the base as well. He was completely fine with being done with training for the day. Less time he had to deal with Tiki's snappiness. Syaoran was going to eat lunch and probably end up spending the rest of the day with his ear being talked off by Sora. But even that was preferred to dealing with Tiki these days. And in a way, he hated it. But he was not backing down this time. Every time they fought, he always had to go and talk to her afterwards because she was too childish or proud to admit when she's wrong. No. This time he was standing his ground. Tiki was a part of Team Avatar and this was where she belonged.

But he didn't want to think right now about how there wasn't much of a team left, or even that it was hardly worth it for them all to be together because of that first fact. He brushed past her to go the dining hall. Without having to wait for Tiki's short strides, the Avatar always got there faster these days. Grabbing his food, he took his place next to Shun, who seemed about as miserable as the rest of them.

"Anything new?" he asked the waterbender, at least attempting to engage in conversation. After all, it's not like Shun had done anything wrong. He was just stuck in the middle of everything.

Thinking on General Chen's words, Shun shook his head. "No. Sorry."

"You apologize too much for everything, Shun," Tiki noted, sitting on the other side of the giant waterbender. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

Shun smiled weakly. "I have heard it once or twice before…"

"You should work on that. It's not like any of this is _your_ fault," Tiki continued, shooting Syaoran a look before she stabbed her fork through a slice of cucumber. Shun sighed, a headache starting to form.

"Sometimes inaction is as guilty as action," he mumbled to himself. He noticed that the tiny airbender beside him had about as much appetite as he did, but as long as she ate, he felt that he could find the strength to eat as well. Currently she was contemplating him as he took a bite of his food.

What did Shun mean by that? Did he regret not taking a side in this issue? Tiki felt it was best if he just stayed out of it—no matter which side he took, the giant waterbender was still going to be caught in the middle, unfortunately. Even if he hated standing on the sidelines, that was the best place for him at the moment, until Syaoran admitted he was wrong and gave Tiki a proper apology…

…Yeah, right. And that would happen as soon as ZanYi started talking to them again. In other words: fat chance.

Both parties could agree on that much, because Syaoran was not going to apologize when it was Tiki who was making the mistake, Tiki that was planning on ditching them. And she was too childish to see that. No matter what, the Avatar was not relenting this time.

"Don't worry about it, Shun," Syaoran encouraged the waterbender, though giving Tiki an incredibly dark look. "After all, it's better not to do anything sometimes than make the _wrong_ decision," he quipped snarly. This was what all meals seemed to be these days: just rehashing the issue as Tiki refused to see sense. It was enough to make Syaoran prefer the lieutenant blasting fire at him every day for training. That had hurt, sure. But they were all on proper speaking terms. These days? Not so much.

"Please stop," Shun begged the both of them when Tiki's mouth opened for a retort. He had his hands on either side of his head, massaging his throbbing temples. "Not today, all right? Just stop it."

Tiki shut her mouth, but reluctantly, since Syaoran was asking for it. But he was an afterthought at the moment: Shun looked like he was going to lose his sanity at any moment. She hated making him feel this way, but Syaoran was making her _so_ angry. He was being selfish and he couldn't even see it. Throwing him the nastiest look she could muster over Shun's shoulder, the tiny airbender returned to her food, invoking the age-old saying of remaining silent if she didn't have anything nice to say.

And boy, did she have a whole lot of not-nice things to say.

Syaoran caught the look and wanted nothing more than to blast the airbender down a couple notches—with which element, he had yet to determine. But with a sideways glance at Shun, the Avatar would not even attempt such a thing. Tiki was being obnoxious and inconsiderate to everything they'd all done for her, but Syaoran couldn't take that out on Shun, not even by accident.

So instead he shut his mouth too, shoveling food in when necessary to keep himself from spewing something else at Tiki and her incorrigible behavior. He couldn't wait to finish and go back to shower. All that he knew was that this was going to be a long meal. Just like all of the others these days.

Although Shun was immensely glad that the two had stopped arguing—for the moment—the silence at the table was not much better. In fact, it was oppressive. Shun couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand any of it.

Tiki jumped when the giant waterbender suddenly stood up. "Shun?" she asked, becoming nervous once she saw the look on his face. "Are you—?"

"I'm going back to my room," Shun decided, still rubbing his head. "I can't deal with you two right now. I need…"

He needed order restored. He needed someone to put their foot down, to say that enough was enough. He needed someone to do what he could not, to tell Syaoran and Tiki to stop acting like children and resolve this issue between them.

He needed ZanYi.

The giant waterbender sighed, the sound coming from his core. He couldn't have ZanYi. She was busy with her own problems; she didn't have time for theirs. He was going to have to do without. And he wasn't too sure if he could.

"…I'm gonna go shower," Shun mumbled to the two of them before he left the dining hall, ignoring the stares he got. He didn't care if he was making another spectacle of himself and Team Avatar. Any more of this madness and the giant waterbender was going to snap. Hopefully, a long, hot shower would calm him down enough so he could think about how to resolve the situation at hand. He wasn't going to hold his breath over it, though.

Once Shun was gone, Tiki immediately rounded on Syaoran, her eyes burning. Now that their peacemaker wasn't here, she could lay into Syaoran all she wanted. "See what you did? You're making him crazy!" she accused unfairly, her pent-up anger beginning to unleash. Everything was Syaoran's fault, and the tiny airbender was going to make him realize it, one way or another.

"Me?!" Syaoran spat incredulously, throwing his hands in the air in disbelief. She was going to pin this all on him? She was the one at fault, like she was about this entire issue. How daft was the airbender? The Avatar almost wanted Tiki to go ahead and go, just he wouldn't have to deal with her like this anymore. But that would defeat the purpose of this entire debate. If Tiki could just see what she was doing to all of them, then maybe things could go back to normal. "Things were fine before you sat down with us! Besides, this is all your fault anyway. Thank you so much. You've done an excellent job of tearing apart this team."

"WHAT?!" screeched Tiki, the indignation she felt over Syaoran's statement making her voice loud and high-pitched. Several heads turned to stare at them. But she didn't care: no way was Syaoran pinning the fall of Team Avatar on her. No freakin' way.

"First of all, ZanYi was already slipping away from us long before I decided to leave," Tiki corrected him, leaning in to get in his face. "And this argument _never_ would have happened if you hadn't been going through my stuff! Face it, Syaoran: you can't tell me what I can and can't do! That's only for me to decide! So quit acting like you're my father or a possessive boyfriend, because _you don't own me!_"

This display was getting rather embarrassing for everyone else. A dark-skinned firebender sitting nearby even yelled "Get a room!" while shooting an irritated look at the pair of them. Tiki ignored them, her stormy eyes on Syaoran and Syaoran alone. She would not let him order her around. This was _her_ life, to live it as she pleased. And if Syaoran was going to behave like this, then she was glad she was leaving.

Syaoran only scoffed in her face though. "Oh, really? Then I suppose the airbenders are the only ones who can tell you what you can and can't do then," he snipped, glaring at Tiki. Normally, being put on stage for everyone to watch bothered him. He hated the spotlight. But right now, he hated how Tiki was acting through this whole thing even more. "If you haven't noticed, that's exactly what they've been doing to you!" And it had made him irritated before, but even more so now. After all, it was their insufficiency that was forcing a twenty-year-old girl to lead when she had other priorities she should have been paying attention to. Like Team Avatar.

"Face it: they've been pushing all of their problems on you and trying to dictate your life! Just because you're an airbender doesn't mean you're not Tiki! And last I checked, Tiki cared about her friends! But no, you're going to let them dictate what you do with your time and who you marry and whether you have children! And you're trying to tell _me_ not to tell you what you can and can't do?!"

The tears were beginning to push at Tiki's eyes, but they were nothing compared to her anger. He didn't understand at all. What, did he think she could just tell the airbenders 'no'? That she was going to leave them to deal with their own problems while she frolicked about with Team Avatar without a care in the world? What would her parents have said if she had even _dared_ to think about such disgraceful behavior?

Syaoran didn't think she could do it. He wanted her to stay because he believed she was going to fail. That was the only explanation that Tiki could think of for why Syaoran was behaving this way. He had been upset when _ZanYi_ left, sure, but he understood that _she_ had a greater purpose to fulfill. Why wouldn't he extend the same courtesy to Tiki? Out of all people, she thought he would understand: just like he couldn't help being the Avatar, she couldn't help that she had been born to lead the airbender nation.

All the anger, all the hurt and the injustice built up in Tiki, the pressure growing more and more unbearable until the tiny airbender snapped. And then she did something she never thought she would actually do: she slapped Syaoran. Repeatedly.

"I hate you!" The words poured from her mouth as did the tears as she struck the Avatar, completely losing her mind in her rage. "You were supposed to be my friend! You were supposed to understand! I didn't ask for this! I DIDN'T ASK FOR ANY OF IT!"

"TIKI!"

Voices called her name, arms pulled at her, dragging her away from Syaoran. But these arms Tiki fought too, until she could break free and flee from the dining hall, the tears so thick that she could barely see where she was going. All she wanted to do was run, run far away from here. She wanted to leave this behind, to know no more pain, no more judgment, no more blame. All she wanted to do was disappear.

Abruptly, Tiki found herself outside. Not bothering to question it, she ran blindly through the forest, searching for her sky bison. That was it, she was done with this, she was done with all of it. No more.

Upon catching sight of Bumi, Tiki made to jump up behind his head and take off, to flee from here. But her airbending had disappeared: she was too upset to focus. So the tiny airbender collapsed against the sky bison instead, burying her face in his fur as she cried.

"I don't want this," she sobbed, the horror of what she had just done quickly catching up to her. "I don't want it to be this way. I want my mom and dad. I want everything to be okay again. I just want the world to make sense again."

But the world would not make sense the way it used to ever again. Her parents were dead. She was the councilwoman of the airbender society now, and they needed her, much more than Team Avatar needed her, despite what Syaoran said. Those facts would not change. And as soon as Tiki was able to pull herself together, she would leave. Like the Avatar, she had a role she needed to fulfill.

* * *

When the general's office door swung open and closed without any sort of knock of consideration, General Chen knew exactly who was entering. "Take a seat, Lieutenant," he urged ZanYi, finishing reading the report in front of him before he looked up.

"I'd rather stand, sir," she replied, at rest in front of his desk. The general found himself displeased with what he saw. Dark circles under her eyes, face a bit thinner, and a tautness to her face that was hiding so much. It made his decision all that much easier once he saw her.

"Fine," General Chen said, putting the report down. He rose from his seat to stare across his desk at the lieutenant, serious and grim. "Lieutenant Tsong, you are officially prohibited from combat."

He watched as a flash of emotion finally crossed the woman's face, indignation sparking. She opened her mouth to probably argue the point, but he held up a hand and cut her off. "There's no discussion on this. You are not to enter combat, you are not to train or train with the Agni-Kais, or with any other force. You are not to even touch paperwork. You're on suspension, Lieutenant."

ZanYi could only feel the anger swell in her, the protest in her throat. Her fists clenched tight, every fiber of her being willing her not to lose it. She needed to work, needed to do something. There was no way he could what he was ordering her. "Sir—!"

"Tsong!" General Chen cut her off forcefully, giving her a stern look. "You have two options now that you are suspended: you either go on leave, or you retake Team Avatar."

ZanYi openly scowled then. Neither option was good. Going on leave would be impossible for her. The last thing she needed was all that time to herself, all that time with just her and her mind… But Team Avatar? That was almost as bad. Because they would push her. They wouldn't just let her be. And Shun wouldn't leave her alone if she stayed with them. The lieutenant wanted space from them, but all she wanted was to do her work, to work on her own as she always did, to go back to her normal routine, before this whole catastrophe. But it was clear that it was not one of the options that General Chen was giving her.

"Lieutenant," he started again, in a stern tone, "those are your two options. I cannot vouch for your well-being right now and I will not put more soldiers at risk because of that. But Team Avatar is in shambles and needs leadership. So that is the option I am giving you. Now, which will you choose? Will you be taking leave or Team Avatar?"

He knew just from the look on her face that, despite struggling to keep it all in, the firebender wanted nothing more than to argue with him, defy him. But despite all of that, this was still Lieutenant ZanYi Tsong, and despite her own troubles, her training did not fail her. So she did not speak out to her superior.

Instead, she picked the—slightly—lesser of two evils.

"I'll retake my position at Team Avatar," she answered reluctantly. It was better than staying here with nothing to do, or going back to Roku's Island and having to deal with the memories there, with Master Fei.

General Chen nodded, as if he had expected this outcome. "Very well. Then go now and pack. You are to move back to your original quarters." He saw the uproarious expression that glimpsed on ZanYi's face and continued in a slightly softer tone, "Lieutenant… it's time to go back. You are prohibited from staying in Sergeant Major Tsong's quarters. Now go get moving. That's an order."

ZanYi didn't move at first, as if she were a child that was contemplating rebellion against her parents. But she was not a child. She was a soldier. And the lieutenant knew how to follow orders.

"Yes, sir," she heeded curtly, and then she turned tail to leave the office, the door closing heftily in her stead. General Chen let his shoulders sag, allowing the concern for the lieutenant to now appear. It was hard to see his finest fall, especially after losing another close to both of them recently. But this had to be done. ZanYi needed something—anything. And the general hoped that this was the solution to a lot of his problems.

* * *

Shun wandered through the halls in a daze, his spirit drained. How much more of this could he stand before he became certifiable? The giant waterbender really did not want to find out, but what other options were there? He was so disheartened by his thoughts that he almost missed the fact that ZanYi's door was open. It took a double take and some backtracking to realize that the lieutenant was actually in there.

ZanYi let out a long growl as she dropped a box onto the stone floor of her bedroom floor. That was the last one. If she was now prohibited from staying in Zaron's room, then all of his personal effects were going with her. So it took one extra trip to bring his box of clothes and possessions over to Team Avatar's hall, but she thought it worth it.

There was a familiar scrawl and the lieutenant looked up to Xie Xie on his roost, newly moved to these quarters. That was about the extent of the company ZanYi allowed these days. It was like Xie Xie knew that Zaron wasn't coming back, and the dragonhawk had been behaving accordingly, quieter.

Crossing the room, ZanYi went over and reached out to the fowl, scratching the feathers under his chin. Xie Xie let out a sad sound, and it made the insides of the lieutenant ache. "I miss him too…" she whispered under her breath. But Zaron wasn't coming back, so she had to push the notion away. She only wished that the voices and nightmares were as easy to shake.

"ZanYi."

Shun's call was like a breathe, the relief immediate as soon as he saw her. Just catching sight of her was reassurance these days. Shun wanted to cross the room and pull her into his arms, but he restrained himself for two reasons. One: he did not know how ZanYi would take that, now that she knew just how deep his affections for her ran. And two: that evil bird was back. Other than a wary glance, Shun paid it no mind. "Um… how are you?"

Such a casual question, and yet it was vital in this situation: something must have changed for ZanYi to be back in her own room again. The question was what? Shun wasn't sure, but he was willing to bet that some strong-arming had occurred on General Chen's part.

Hearing the familiar voice, ZanYi took a deep breath. She was going to have to deal with him sooner or later. Might as well be now. So she turned to face him with an impassive look. He looked haggard, looked exhausted on so many levels. Perhaps things were getting bad on Team Avatar like everyone had been saying, like the general had said to her earlier. She considered ignoring his question, found herself answering anyway.

"Suspended," ZanYi told him. "I'm on suspension."

And it almost made her want to flare back up again, now that she was away from General Chen. The lieutenant certainly didn't appreciate the strong-arming nature in which he got her to go back to Team Avatar. But ZanYi was going to keep her control. Twice now she made the mistake of losing control and it had messed with Shun both times. She wasn't going to make it three.

Shun frowned in concern. Though ZanYi did her best to keep her emotion under control, he knew that this upset her. He was about to ask her just what suspension meant for her loud footsteps echoed down the hall, and Shun turned to see Ransik and Sikka approaching. The looks on their faces were even more cause for concern. "What happened?" Shun asked as soon as they were near enough… although the giant waterbender was almost certain that he did not want to know.

"Tiki and Syaoran had another fight," Sikka informed him, her expression anxious.

"Another one?" Shun sighed, his hand raising to his temple again. Those two…

"It was worse this time," Ransik spoke up, his expression grave, "It came to blows."

That got Shun's attention.

"They _hit_ each other?"

"Well, Tiki smacked Syaoran around a little," Sikka explained, "I had to drag her off him."

Shun groaned, his hand over his eyes. He never should have left them alone. The minute he was gone, a tussle broke out. "How is Syaoran?" he dared to ask next.

"Fine, I think," Ransik replied, "Shocked… like the rest of us. I didn't think the airbender had it in her to be that violent."

Tiki didn't. Which caused Shun to wonder: what could they have possibly fought about to make Tiki so angry that she actually laid a hand on the Avatar? Shun was anxious to find out, but he didn't know which one to check on first. Turning to ZanYi, the giant waterbender gave her a look, as if to say, 'Welcome to my nightmare. Here's a recap of what you've missed so far.'

"I'll take Tiki if you take Syaoran?" he offered, hoping she would bite. Because Shun could not do this by himself—he knew that now. In order for them to bring Team Avatar back to functionality again, he was going to need ZanYi's help.

ZanYi was exasperated. No wonder this had been the other option to taking leave. General Chen probably just wanted this resolved and off his hands. It was bad enough to put her on suspension, but this? The general was right: they needed a leader. ZanYi could do this much. Work was work, and generally Syaoran was easy to handle.

"Fine," she agreed, irritated as she brushed past him. "Close the door behind you."

She gave a look to Ransik and he nodded, taking off to lead her to where Syaoran was. They found him at that point walking back to the rooms from the dining hall, face red for more reasons than one. When he saw ZanYi with Ransik though, his mood cleared up a little bit.

"ZanYi?" he questioned, as if confused as to why she was with Ransik. The lieutenant nodded to the waterbender, and Ransik kept on walking, most likely to calm down whatever was going in the dining hall. Which left ZanYi standing in the hall with Syaoran. The Avatar couldn't believe this was happening. As of late, she'd been avoiding them at almost all costs. Now she seemed like she was going to talk to him. "What's—?"

"Come. Now," the lieutenant ordered, heading back towards where their quarters were. Despite his already hot temper, Syaoran knew better than to pick a fight with ZanYi, especially right now. Last thing he wanted was to get blasted on top of being a public slapping dummy. ZanYi pushed open his bedroom door, the look on her face telling him to get in and take a seat or else. When he did that, she closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Start talking."

"It's all Tiki's fault!" Syaoran immediately answered, as if that was going to get him out of trouble. "Everything's falling apart on this team because she decided without telling any of us that she's going to leave! Things were bad enough with—"

Even if ZanYi hadn't stiffened a bit and her face gone strangely neutral, the Avatar would have cut himself off there on his own. He reigned himself in a bit, not wanting to make things worse when the lieutenant was finally getting involved.

"Why is Tiki leaving?" she asked him calmly.

"Because she thinks she needs to take her spot leading the airbenders."

"And she does."

"It's just ridic—what?" Syaoran interjected unto himself, realizing what she had just said. Looking to ZanYi, he had a look of angry betrayal on his face. "Tiki can't leave!"

"Why?"

"Because she said she'd be there for me and she's leaving me!"

The room grew quiet then. Syaoran didn't realize what he'd just said until afterwards. And ZanYi was sullen, despite knowing that she'd just tricked Syaoran into admitting the problem. If there was one thing she understood right now, it was feeling like she was left on her own. That wasn't a problem in itself, but if there was that person that one needed by their side in order to feel like the world was upright…

_"I promise. I'll never leave you alone."_

No. Not right now. She couldn't deal with Team Avatar and Zaron right now. ZanYi had to resist the urge to shut her eyes tight and clench her head to force it away. Instead, she leveled with Syaoran. "Did you tell Tiki that?" ZanYi asked him point-blank.

Syaoran looked a little awkward then, turning away from the lieutenant's flat golden eyes. "Well, maybe… sort of…"

"Tiki is your friend. She also has responsibilities. But if she's trying to go, holding on tighter isn't going to work. Tell her calmly. And fix this already."

"But she started this!" Syaoran protested, anger flaring up again. "It's her fault for not seeing reason—!"

"And you're not seeing her reasons. So cool off, buck up, and fix this. Team Avatar is four people, so get a move on it," ZanYi told him blatantly. The lieutenant went to leave the room, to let Syaoran think and cool off when he called out to her again.

"Wait, ZanYi!" he beckoned, rising to his feet. All she did was stop, waiting for him to finish. He didn't want to hope, but the Avatar had to ask, "You said 'four'… Does that mean… you're back? You're staying with Team Avatar?"

ZanYi was quiet. She didn't want to stay. She didn't even want to be dealing the team's drama. But this was better than the solitude and time that she'd have to endure if she went on leave. So the lieutenant answered honestly according to her orders. "Yes." And ZanYi left the room then. Syaoran heard a door slam a couple rooms away, and he knew it was true. The lieutenant was back. So if ZanYi could come back in her state…

Syaoran flopped back down. This meant he had to talk to Tiki. Which would suck, because she was not going to listen to anything. But he didn't want her to go either…

This all sucked. But maybe there was hope…

* * *

If Shun knew Tiki, she had run away on instinct… but if she happened to run to her sky bison… Shun had to find her before that happened.

The giant waterbender knew exactly where to go, dashing across the clearing and into the forest. Time was of the essence, and Tiki already had a head start. If Shun did not get to her soon, once she took off on her sky bison, there was a good chance they would never see her again.

Thankfully, to Shun's relief, the tiny airbender was still there, collapsed next to Bumi, her head buried in the fur of the sky bison's head. Carefully, Shun approached the upset airbender.

"Tiki?"

Tiki gave a great sniff. "Go away, Shun."

Shun did not go away. Instead, he moved to sit next to the tiny airbender, stroking her hair as she hid her face in Bumi's fur. A moment of silence passed in between the two, in which Tiki allowed herself to be coddled, just a little.

"…You want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"Don't patronize me, Shun," Tiki threatened, raising her head to glare at the giant waterbender. He raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm not. I'm just trying to help you out," he pointed out, remaining calm. Tiki's eyes were rimmed red, her face was soaked, and her skin was blotchy. "Sikka told me you and Syaoran had another fight. Do you want to tell me what happened in your own words?"

Tiki wanted to say no. She wanted to tell Shun to go away and leave her alone so she could get herself together in peace. She wanted to say goodbye and never look back. But she didn't. Instead, she confessed.

"I hit Syaoran," she mumbled, hiding her face again in her shame. Shun resumed stroking her hair.

"I know."

"I didn't mean to."

"I know that too."

Tiki looked up, her stormy eyes clouded with tears once more. "Shun… what am I supposed to do?"

Shun offered a smile and a slight shrug. "Apologize," he said simply. Tiki's brow furrowed at this.

"But if I apologize…" she paused to sniffle, "…then I'll lose the argument."

Shun almost laughed. Almost. "Maybe… but is it worth losing your friend over, Tiki?"

Tiki's expression became impossibly more miserable. "…No," she admitted at last. Rubbing the wetness from her eyes, she confessed, "But I don't think he'll accept my apology. I told him I hated him."

"I'm sure he knows you didn't mean that."

Tiki sniffled again. "…I have feelings for him."

Shun thought so. He just hadn't wanted to say so out loud, in case Tiki wasn't aware of it yet… though, he would have to say, that would be poetic justice. "It's often the people we care about the most that end up frustrating us the most," he admitted, the wisdom of his statement and how he had gotten it making him smile in a wry fashion. "But Tiki, if you run away, this issue will never be resolved. You understand that, right? If you want things to work out with Syaoran, you have to admit your fault, even if he doesn't. It's called 'compromise', and though it can be frustrating, it's worth it if you reach an agreement."

"No wonder you and ZanYi get along even when you're fighting," Tiki acknowledged, managing a watery smile. "I wish I could do that with Syaoran. I hate it when we fight. I hate it."

"Do you think," Shun began to speculate, "that the reason you two fight so much is because you're both misunderstanding the other's intentions?" At Tiki's perplexed look, the giant waterbender continued, "I mean, you both care about each other, and you never mean to hurt each other. But sometimes you both get wrapped up in your own emotions that you fail to see each other's needs. If you both recognize that problem, you can work together towards a goal. Understand?"

Tiki stared at Shun for a full five seconds before she replied. "You should be a psychologist."

Shun grinned. "I actually want to be a doctor," he admitted, "but that's a close second." Turning back to the topic, Shun said, "Talk to Syaoran, Teeks. I'm sure he's just as tired of fighting with you as you are with him. Nothing will get better if you refuse to talk to each other, and it doesn't matter who wins. If this continues, the both are you going to lose each other. And you don't want that, right?"

Tiki sighed heavily. "No, I don't," she admitted. Drying her eyes one last time, the tiny airbender got to her feet. "I guess I have to concede first."

"You're not conceding," Shun corrected her as he stood up, "you're taking the first step towards mending your relationship with someone you care about. That's worth all the pride you have."

A corner of Tiki's mouth turned down. "I guess one of us has to be wise when the other one isn't," she noted. Shun gave a chuckle and patted Tiki's head.

"Wisdom doesn't help anything when it comes to someone you care about. Sometimes emotions just take over."

"Yeah." Tiki took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling significantly calmer. Perhaps it was a good thing that Shun had stopped her before she had taken off on a whim—she would have almost certainly regretted it. "Okay… I'll go talk to Syaoran."

"Good luck."

Shun followed Tiki back to the base, but at a significantly slower pace. Personally, the giant waterbender thought the reason Tiki and Syaoran fought so much was because they were subconsciously trying to avoid their feelings for each other. But that was just his opinion. Either way, they did care about one another, and it was a shame to see them fight so hard against each other when this problem could be solved if they just _talked_. That's all they needed to do.

Once Shun gave Tiki an encouraging push towards Syaoran's door, the giant waterbender headed past her to go to the bathroom. It was time for that long-needed shower. Also, he had been neglecting to shave his face—if Tiki had been in a better mood, she would have noted that he seemed to be harboring a wolfbat on his face once again.

Meanwhile, Tiki stood outside of Syaoran's door, nervous. She tried several times to knock, but felt as if she did, a fight would break out between them all over again. And Tiki didn't want to fight anymore. She just wanted things to be okay.

'_Suck it up,_' she told herself sternly. And, finally, after a few more seconds of preparation, the tiny airbender managed to knock firmly on Syaoran's door. No going back now.

The door opened far too soon. Syaoran had already been about to open the door when he heard the knock. What he was surprised about was that it was Tiki standing on the other side of the door. He had been about to go look for her… after several passing minutes after the lieutenant had basically demanded that he go fix this.

"Um…" he started and the Avatar cringed. Already off to a bad start. "Do you want to come in…?" he suggested, a bit gruffly. After all, she had slapped him silly and repeatedly in the dining hall in front of a good portion of the base. But Syaoran forced that irritation back. ZanYi was right: he had to fix this. "We should probably, um, talk though."

Looking at the red marks on Syaoran's face caused Tiki to flush with shame; she dipped her head and nodded. Inching past the Avatar, Tiki felt supremely awkward in her own body. She perched herself on the very edge of Syaoran's bed, playing with the ends of her hair to avoid meeting his eyes.

She knew she had to talk, to apologize, to say _something_, but the words wouldn't come. Where was she supposed to start? Should she wait to for him to say something first? Or was it up to her to clear the air? Did it even matter…? After another deep breath, Tiki looked up, meeting Syaoran's jade eyes.

"I don't hate you," she told him, an anxious note in her voice. "I only said that because I was mad. I'm sorry I hit you too." There. She had started things off. The ball was in his court now.

Syaoran sat down on his bed as well after closing the door, though a good bit over from Tiki. He reflexively reached up to his face to rub it, despite the soreness. Through experience in sparring, he knew that the little airbender was stronger than she looked, but these stung. A lot.

Then again, he probably deserved them in part for the way he'd been acting.

"And I'm sorry I picked on all the things that I knew would tick you off the most," he acknowledged, knowing that was a jerky move on his part. Syaoran knew how sensitive she was about her role, about the airbenders. And he'd used that to make her mad because he was mad. "I don't hate you either, since we're on the topic."

This revelation was surprisingly relieving for the tiny airbender. Feeling tears well up in her eyes once again, she brought her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. "Thank goodness," she sighed, "I don't know what I would do if you hated me for something I did or said in the heat of the moment. I wouldn't know what to do…" And she was crying again. Fantastic. Stubbornly, Tiki kept her face pressed into her knees, feeling that it was easier to speak if she did this.

"I… I don't want to leave," she admitted quietly, surreptitiously glancing at Syaoran out of the corner of her eye. "I like being on Team Avatar. I like the feeling of having a… a family." Even if that family happened to be extremely dysfunctional from time to time. Gathering her courage again, Tiki raised her head, her hands still clutching her knees as she looked into Syaoran's eyes once again. "But once you're finished with your airbending training, I won't be needed anymore," she pointed out, "and don't tell me it isn't true, because it is. It wouldn't be that much of a blow if I left the team. ZanYi is the leader. Shun is the healer. You're the Avatar… and I'm just your cheerleader."

That's all she ever would be. And she was fine with it… mostly. "The airbenders need a leader, Syaoran," Tiki reminded him, looking down now at her amulet. "And that leader _has_ to be me. It's my birthright. I don't have much of a choice, true, but I'm okay with it. Our government is crumbling underneath us, and Kaze worries every day that there will be a revolt in the absence of a true leader. Even in these desperate times, the daughter of traitors is good enough. The airbenders need me. Kaze needs me…"

Tiki looked up at Syaoran again, her gaze imploring. "And I need to do this, Syaoran. This has nothing to do with me abandoning Team Avatar. It's about me stepping up and taking responsibility for my destiny. You can understand that, can't you? About having to take responsibility for a role you feel unprepared for, but have to take on anyway?" She knew he did. He had talked about it more than once, and she had had to assure him more than once. She had given him her support. Now, Tiki needed the Avatar's support.

Syaoran wanted to point out the destiny he couldn't walk away from involved protecting more than a band of people that probably didn't amass to more than forty or fifty, but that was the bitterness talking again.

"Maybe logistically you wouldn't be a huge blow to the team if you left," Syaoran started, but quickly finished because he knew how that sounded alone, "but your hole would be as big as anyone else's if you left. This group would be doom and gloom without you. This team's got me and ZanYi, and Shun can't deal with both if the sour attitudes rear up. Personally, I think helping the morale of the team is just as important as everything else. I know it means the most to me usually."

The Avatar almost felt a flush come to his cheeks, but he pushed on, knowing that he had to say what he meant, like ZanYi said.

"You're the one on this team that cares about all of me, Avatar and Syaoran. It's been you to get me off my butt and onto my feet when I mess up. I'd like to think that that makes you a pretty important part of Team Avatar. Right now your people have a council; I've got you. If you leave and do the math there, it doesn't paint a pretty picture for the Avatar, or for the world then."

Reluctant, Syaoran turned then to look over at Tiki, to meet her eyes. Jade eyes meeting gray, they conveyed the message in his words, serious. "Just stay until this all over. Help me end this war first. Then go back. If you need it, I'll even help, to make up for it. But don't go."

Tiki gave Syaoran an agonized look. "Syaoran," she began, but then paused. How could she say no to him? He was even offering to help, which was really sweet. She didn't want to leave. And he was only asking for a little more time. Where was the harm in that?

But Tiki knew exactly where the harm was: they had no idea when the war would end. That could be six months away, a year, several years… there was not even a promise that the war would end in their lifetime. How did Syaoran know the war wouldn't rear up once again as soon as he passed? Nothing about this war was a sure thing, and the longer Tiki stayed mixed up in it, the longer she put not only her life in danger, but the futures of airbenders everywhere as well.

She stood up, pacing away from the Avatar, her fingers combing through her hair as she thought. She had rewritten the letter to Kaze, but she had not sent it—it lay hidden under her mattress from prying eyes this time around. She had meant to send it days ago, but somehow, she could not bring herself to do it. What she had been waiting for, she didn't know, but now the tiny airbender was not sure whether or not she was glad she had waited. If Tiki had already sent it, she would be able to make a decisive decision. But again, it was so hard for her to say no, when Syaoran asked her directly not to go. Tiki felt like she was being pulled in two directions, and the worst part was that she was not sure which side was tugging the hardest.

"I… I don't know," she sighed, unable to make a decision. "I can't make this decision now. I need… more time to think."

But would more time help or hinder? Would it lessen her doubts? Or increase them? Tiki didn't know, and that was what was driving her crazy the most: she didn't know what she should do. She knew what she wanted, and she knew what was expected of her. So the question she thought she had the answer to had arisen again: now what?

Syaoran nodded slowly, but a bit relieved. "Take your time then," the Avatar encouraged her. If Tiki wasn't rushing off to hurry this decision, to get back to the airbenders, then he still had time. There was time to fix this. And he supposed for the moment, that was what he could get. And he was going to take it.

"Just… before you send off anything, talk to us first about it. And I mean all of us," Syaoran urged her, rising to his feet as well. Giving Tiki a strong look, he continued, "ZanYi's back. She's staying with Team Avatar and she said it herself that Team Avatar is four people. On some level, even she seems to get that we're stuck with each other now. None of us can just walk away anymore."

Syaoran then stepped over to Tiki, hands shoved in his pockets so he hunched a bit. He didn't want Tiki to go. He'd said what he meant to say, and it seemed like Tiki had said what she wanted to say. And it didn't bring them anywhere closer to a solution. But the Avatar liked to think that they were past the worst of it and could find a starting point now.

"So, um… Does this mean we're not fighting anymore? Because I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being mad and I think everyone else on the base is too." He kind of felt bad for all of the trouble they'd been causing. Heck, it was bad enough to they had to bring the lieutenant back into this, despite everything wrong happening on her end of things. So Syaoran smiled weakly and hesitantly, almost hopeful looking. "Truce?" he asked her.

Tiki turned to fully face the Avatar, shock displayed plainly on her face. Was he for real? After she had hit him, yelled at him, and publicly humiliated him… he was forgiving her?

Strong emotions welled up in the tiny airbender, and she moved to hug Syaoran so forcefully that she nearly toppled the both of them over. "I'm sorry," she apologized, hiding her face in Syaoran's chest and holding him like she would never let go. "I'm so sorry!"

Tiki did not want to leave, but knew she could not stay… not for long, at least. She could not ignore the suffering of her people for very long either. Perhaps she would stay for another month or so… perhaps she would stay until Syaoran learned and mastered waterbending. Perhaps she would stick around long enough to see him take down WeiTai—oh, that was the problem when she was left to decide by herself, she couldn't decide how long she should stay. But then, she had some time to figure that out now. Knowing that ZanYi planned to remain a part of Team Avatar relieved Tiki, because should she decide to leave, she knew that Syaoran would be in good hands.

But Team Avatar was four, not three…

Tiki clutched the back of Syaoran's shirt, willing the tears not to fall. Curse him for making her feel like this all the time, like she was riding a rollercoaster of emotions that she couldn't get off of. There had to be a balance here, too, right? Between him driving her crazy and melting her with his awkward sweetness? Tiki hoped so, because although the time she had left with Team Avatar was a concern, the time she wanted to spend going back and forth on this spectrum with Syaoran was significantly shorter. Just like with all of their fights, there had to be a solution here too.

Syaoran had to root his feet to the ground to make sure they didn't fall back. If the fervor in her apology wasn't enough to convince him, Tiki's actions would have convinced him. She was holding onto him like it would hurt to let go. Despite the airbender's best efforts, Syaoran could already feel part of his shirt dampening where her face was.

He sighed. Here they were again. At least this was more usual for them, and while Syaoran wasn't particularly a fan, he had learned to work with this. As if it were becoming natural for him, the Avatar wrapped his arms around her shoulders to hold her there.

"It's okay, Tiki. Don't worry about it. I was a jerk too," he tried to assure her. "You don't have to cry this time about it…"

Tiki sniffled. "You know I can't help it," she reminded him, though she did bring an arm back to wipe her eyes on her sleeve. Looking up at the Avatar, Tiki contemplated him for a minute, reminiscing on the words of Shun.

"…I want to propose something," she said after a moment, "so we can avoid stuff like this in the future. Whenever we get mad at each other, let's just slow down first and explain to each other why we're angry. Shun thinks we fight so much because we misunderstand each other all the time, and I think he's right. I know you're just as tired as fighting as I am. None of it is worth losing each other's friendship. So can we try this, please?"

If this could be the solution to all their problems, Tiki would never tease Shun about his facial hair ever again.

Syaoran looked at Tiki like she was a circus animal. She wanted them… to talk out their problems? Communicate? This was starting to make it sound like they were a couple… No! Focus, Syaoran!

But he sighed, actually considering it. After all, she had a point—or, he supposed, Shun had a point. Neither of them had said what they actually wanted to, and therefore they acted like angry children for the past several days and made everyone around them miserable. Okay. Clearly the way they were going about things was not an option again.

"If it stops us from ticking each other and everyone else, sure. Last thing I need is ZanYi to keep telling me that I have to go fix things because I didn't say what I was supposed to."

Ah, so ZanYi had talked to him, then? Tiki was both grateful and irritated—Syaoran probably wouldn't have wanted to talk if ZanYi hadn't forced his hand… but then again, Tiki wouldn't have wanted to talk if Shun hadn't come to convince her either.

"And, have you said everything you needed to?" she wanted to check, abruptly anxious for a reason she could not place. "This talk was pointless if you're holding anything back, you know. You can tell me anything."

Tiki vaguely realized that she was hoping for something here. Perhaps for the Avatar to say that he never wanted to fight again because he couldn't live without her…?

Ew. Gross, no. Not only was that incredibly cheesy, but it also wasn't Syaoran's style at all. Tiki would expect that kind of talk from Shun when speaking to ZanYi. Cheesy worked for Shun. For Syaoran, not so much. He was adorable when he was awkward, though. Tiki sighed quietly. She sort of wished that she could tell Syaoran about her newfound feelings for him, but… maybe now wasn't the right time. They had just made up; Tiki didn't want to blow that by confessing she saw him as more than a friend and scare him off, effectively ruining their friendship. What was she supposed to do with these feelings, exactly? Lock them away? Let them bloom?

Goodness. She was starting to understand what Shun went through when trying to repress his feelings for ZanYi.

Syaoran thought about it for a minute, whether there was anything else to say, but quickly responded after seeing the anxiety leap to her features. "Nah, I'm good," the Avatar told her. "Promise."

Tiki wasn't going to leave right now. ZanYi was slowly coming back to them, for one reason or other, which meant Shun wouldn't worry quite as much when he could see her. Team Avatar was coming back together, and that was what mattered to him. He wasn't losing anyone. He wasn't losing his support…

His jade eyes were quiet on Tiki for a second, reflective. ZanYi could kick his butt in gear. Shun and him were just trying to be able to talk normally again, after the debacle over ZanYi. But Tiki… she was always there, to push him, or to pull him; to encourage him. Syaoran couldn't ignore the fact at least that she was probably the most important part of Team Avatar to him.

And that admission to himself almost made him gag.

"So," he said, drawing out the syllable a couple more as he let go of Tiki and shoved his hands back in his pockets, "we're good then?"

Tiki couldn't help but smile, just a little.

"We're good," she assured him. Growing just a little bold, the tiny airbender stretched up to her tiptoes and gave Syaoran a peck on the cheek. She would have to be careful about when she showed affection, but now seemed like a good time to show she had forgiven him. Taking a step back, Tiki continued, "So, we can resume your actual training tomorrow, if you'd like? Normally, I would want us to take advantage of what sunlight we have left, but I'm emotionally exhausted. At the risk of sounding like a child, I need a nap."

Indeed, Tiki's eyes were beginning to droop. Today's events had taken a lot out of her. All she wanted was a couple hours of peace.

Pink colored Syaoran's cheeks at her forwardness, and he frowned at her because of it. It's not like it was her fault that his hormones were acting up for no reason. Then again, maybe it was her fault then…

Shaking his head roughly, he scratched the back of his head, as if scratching away the thoughts from his mind. "Sounds like a plan to me," he agreed with Tiki, moving back to flop on his bed. "I'll never turn down a chance to sleep."

Seriously? Like he was going to turn down a chance to take a nap. So if Tiki didn't want to get back to work today, he was going to be perfectly okay with it. "Can we make this a routine? Train in the morning and sleep all afternoon? Or better yet, why don't we just sleep-in in the mornings like normal people?" he suggested, cracking one eye open to look lazily at Tiki as he crossed his arms behind his head and pillow.

Tiki giggled. A tempting offer… and yet she would be bored in the mornings if she let Syaoran sleep in.

"No can do," she denied him, moving to the door. "If you get lazy now, all the training we've done will go down the drain. And we don't want that, do we?"

"Okay, how about this: a compromise," Syaoran suggested. Tiki had wanted better communication between them. He'll give it to her then. If he goes halfway, she would too, wouldn't she? So Syaoran went on to suggest, "Not all the time. Every other day. We'll do early morning training one day, then late morning training the next, and so on and so forth. Then we both get what we want. Deal?"

Tiki paused in the doorway after pulling the door open to look over at Syaoran. Knowing that things were okay again gave her courage, and she smiled once again. "I think I can live with that," she agreed. The smile turned radiant as she gazed back at Syaoran. "Good compromise. I'm glad to see that you took my words to heart."

Tiki left the room to head to her own. A bed had never looked so good to her before, and she climbed in gratefully. The day had seemed impossibly long, and Tiki found herself able to fall asleep easily. She just hoped she was not too exhausted to get up for dinner… but then, someone would probably come get her before then. And it would probably be Syaoran.

Tiki smiled.

* * *

**A/N from DJ: Sorry for the delay! I hope the length of this makes up for the delay. Eva's schedule is back to insane, and I was traveling last weekend with no internet access. So, here you go with this week's update, hopefully we'll be able to get them back out each weekend! Now, acknowledgements!**

**KingTK414: Thanks so much for the Alert! I hope you're still enjoying the series then, if you're still reading!**

**Ozai37: You've read this TWICE?! That's so much reading! xD Thanks so much, and I'm glad you're starting to see this as canon. Since we're huge fans of the series, that's a huge honor to us! And thank-you so much for the Favorite for Fire and Air!**

**Same Guest: You shed a tear? Or nearly? Then we're doing something right! xP We obviously throw in lots of drama with our plot, but we never want to just use it; we want readers to understand these tough issues as they come, realize they're not just plot devices, but also bring to light painful issues. Life sucks, but it's all about how you keep on moving, in fiction or reality. And yes - the titles of the chappies were intentional like that xD**

**Masseffect321: Keep on dodgin'! You can do it! Everyone goes through rough patches, and every issue has reasonable sides. We like to show ALL the gray areas~**

**iBlondie: Thanks for the Alert on Water! We'd love to hear your thoughts sometime and hope that you continue to enjoy!**

**ANewButOldGuest: No problem! And with every book, there are more and more issues! Hopefully we'll get to finish the series and it'll still be strong!**

**HalfaLeader: Friend! You're still with us! Thanks for the Alert and I love how you think our madness is a fantastic start xD Glad you can relish in the craziness of this series with us!**

**Revolution but Civilization: You made a Mulan reference in a review. That is fabulous xD Everyone has so many problems right now, I don't think any of them could be saving China though! And your feels are evidence that we're writing this story correctly xD As for how the team develops and changes... only time will tell~**

**Phew! That's all of them! Hopefully we'll see you guys next week! Tootles!**


	4. The Healing

**Avatar: The Warring Earth**

**Book Three—Water**

**By Twins of the Pen**

**Disclaimer: Avatar in itself belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryan Konietzko/Michael DiMartino. The only things that belong to Twins of the Pen are the original characters.**

* * *

Shun was back in his room. ZanYi could hear the door beside her room open and close. After she'd left to deal with Syaoran, she didn't know where he'd gone to find Tiki, or where he'd gone since. Not that she had to know. What she did have to know was if the two younger members had made up. That's why she was here: to make sure the team was running smoothly. It was better than having nothing.

And yet, that's exactly what she had right now. Nothing. She couldn't train with any of the soldiers. She couldn't do paperwork. ZanYi literally had nothing to do while Team Avatar went about its business.

Which made everything worse.

It was when Zaron's voice would feel the loudest. She couldn't nap, for she couldn't risk falling into another night terror when others around were close enough to hear her. This is exactly what she had been trying to avoid, been dreading. And it made things so much worse, made the feelings threaten to overflow, made the reality so much sharper…

ZanYi couldn't do this. Couldn't just sit here in her room. Her options were limited, backed into the proverbial corner by her orders. But as much as she didn't want to do what she was about to, the lieutenant had to escape the void somehow.

Leaving her room, she leaned against Shun's doorframe, knocking. It was barely a courtesy. ZanYi then entered the room, shutting it behind her. She leaned back against the door, with a cross of her arms. "Did you talk to Tiki?" she asked the waterbender, getting right to the point of the matter.

However, Shun was just back from a shower. Which means he was not yet clothed. Shun nearly dropped his towel in shock, whirling around to stare at ZanYi in horror. Usually, he would have been happy that she had come to call on him on her own. But right now, he was not. "I appreciate the fact that you knocked," he began, turning his back on the lieutenant to secure his towel and hide his blush, "but isn't the courtesy of a knock useless if you just come in anyway?" Though Shun wasn't exactly surprised: that was just ZanYi's way. Still, he could not talk to her like this.

"I can tell you about it," he began in answer to her question, turning his head to look at her from his peripheral vision, "but could you give me a few minutes? I'm… indecent."

Was she seriously not bothered at all by the fact that he was currently only in a towel? The giant waterbender's insecurity flared once again. Perhaps ZanYi had just been toying with him, all those nights they held each other…? No, Shun did not want to believe that. How could he? She still wore his necklace—that had to mean something… even if he wasn't quite sure what it was.

Shun's discomfort and embarrassment was so familiar to ZanYi, as was the sight of his bare chest and back. Here was a man that she had trusted with almost everything, one that she had been fond of, one that she had cared about. And if the lieutenant let herself consider it, she knew that most of that was still true.

But she'd lost the trust. It wasn't Shun's fault. It was Zaron's. It was WeiTai's. It was her own. And even knowing that he loves her wasn't enough to push her to make that leap again.

It had been a bad decision to come in here. Shun may just be thinking of the logistics of it all; after all, he was almost stark naked. But ZanYi knew she couldn't do this right now, couldn't talk to Shun, as much as there was still a part of her that wanted to. But ZanYi was too far gone right now, too messed up. She had to find her way back, and on her own.

"Don't worry about it," the lieutenant told Shun in a neutral tone, pushing off the door. "As long as you talked to her. I'll speak with them later."

She left the room and shut the door behind her, going back to her own room. ZanYi sat down on her bed and leaned over, holding her head. The two necklaces she wore tumbled out of her top: Zaron's and Shun's. The lieutenant looked at them and growled. That day she'd lost Zaron, she'd also lost her brother, her best friend, her rock. And each day, ZanYi could only see how it had messed her up, knocked her off her feet. Like this, she couldn't be around Shun, around his kindness and his support and his love.

It just wouldn't be fair to anyone. And that meant she lost both of them that day in the raid.

And while Shun was relieved when ZanYi left, that bothered him. He knew it was not that he wanted her to go; he just didn't want her to see him like this: naked. But now that she was gone, he wanted to call her back, to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be all right. These days, though she tried her hardest to keep her expressions under control, Shun could see her through the mask. And she was hurting.

Dressing as quickly as he could and hastily drying his hair, the giant waterbender left his room to go speak with ZanYi. He almost knocked… but then he decided he did not want to give ZanYi the chance to deny him entry and just walked in, shutting the door behind him. ZanYi sat on the bed, her head in her hands, looking utterly defeated. And that hurt Shun to see. He sat down next to her, a careful hand on her back. "Are you all right?" he asked softly, feeling that it was an idiotic question, but needing to ask it anyway. He hated to see ZanYi looking so lost, and he would do anything to help her. Despite whatever feelings—or lack there of—she may harbor for him, his love for her was not going to go away, nor could he forget about it. He had already tried.

ZanYi had stiffened when she heard her door open, though she knew in all likelihood who it was that would just come in. When the intruder sat down beside her, touched her back, expressed his concern, the lieutenant knew it was Shun. It made her want to run, to push away again. But this was her room. And right now, she didn't have anywhere else to go; all of the training rooms were being used by troops right now. She'd have to wait for even those to free up. In the meantime, ZanYi was just going to have to make do here.

"I'm fine," the lieutenant asserted, rising to her feet to stand. Turning and looking down to Shun, she put on the most neutral look she could, refusing to relent. "Did you need something?"

Shun held back his sigh. There she was, being distant again. It was all he could do not to pull her into her arms and hold her until she believed nothing in the world would go wrong ever again. It killed him to see her so unhappy… but he knew she would not appreciate him coddling her. ZanYi wanted to deal with this herself, so Shun would respect her wishes… for now.

"I wanted to ask you if you think we should worry about Tiki and Syaoran," he asked after casting about for a topic that would interest the lieutenant. "They've been fighting much more recently, and it's beginning to worry me. What are your thoughts?" Shun had his thoughts about the issue, of course, but he wanted to know what ZanYi thought before he spouted them. It would be nice to know whether or not he was the only one thinking that the two youngest members of Team Avatar only fought so hard against each other to keep each other's attention.

"I don't think it's anything to worry about," ZanYi said after a deep breath. This was a topic that ZanYi could work with—it was work. Team Avatar was back to being her job. She had to focus on that. Right now, it seemed that Tiki and Syaoran were the focus of the issue. Rare, but it was easy to work with. "Syaoran wasn't thinking about why they were fighting, just about her leaving him alo—"

_"I'll never leave you alone."_

No. No. Not again. Not right now. The voice made her stiffen and cut off, startled. Why couldn't Zaron go? Why? If this kept up, ZanYi was never going to be able to focus, never be able to get better…

The lieutenant took a deep breath and then continued, ignoring the echoes in the recesses of her mind. "If they just talk things out and say what they both mean, they'll be fine," she finished, concluding her take on the situation.

Shun stared at ZanYi, scrutinizing her. She had stiffened mid-sentence, the word 'alone' tripping her up. What was going through her mind? The giant waterbender reached out to take one of her hands. "I'll ask you again," he said, "are you all right?" Why did he bother asking? She would just assert that she was fine again and push him away further. But Shun wasn't going to let her this time around. Even if he made a nuisance of himself, he would help her.

ZanYi grit her teeth, but she didn't pull her hand away. The touch was soft, was gentle, was very much 'Shun'. Before all of this, she couldn't understand his tenderness, couldn't grasp it. It would make her embarrassed, sometimes uncomfortable. But now? Now it made her want to crumble, made her want to let go of everything and take it.

But if she let it all go… would she get back up? Would she be able to rein it all back in?

Not being able to answer that question was one of the things that always stopped her from deciding. But ZanYi wanted to believe Shun, wanted him to be there. She'd finally started to try that before all of this. He was still here. Shouldn't she at least try?

Before the voice could come back again, before she could talk herself back out of it, ZanYi tried. "Maybe not. Maybe not, Shun…" she answered him as honestly as she could bring herself too. Just his name on her mouth filled her with some kind of assurance. Shun was still here. And whether she wanted to admit it or not, the lieutenant needed that.

The admittance both surprised Shun as much as it encouraged him. So she was willing to admit that she wasn't as put-together as she pretended to be. Shun would take what he could get. "Tell me what's on your mind," he encouraged her, taking her other hand as well. His eyes were earnest as he looked up at her. "I'm right here, ZanYi. Just talk to me."

She could manage that much, couldn't she? All he wanted was for her to confide in him, to feel comfortable enough to share her sorrows with him. Shun knew he could never replace the late sergeant major, nor did he want to. He just wanted ZanYi to believe that she was not alone, that she would never be alone as long as he was around.

ZanYi didn't mean to encourage him, but what was she expecting with an answer like that? Then again, he wasn't asking much of her. She knew that. He just wanted her to talk to him. Doing that had never failed her before either. Shun kept her secrets, never judged her. So why: why was it so hard for her to take that step towards him again? Why couldn't the lieutenant go to him, rely on him? She trusted him with her life, didn't she? It frustrated her to feel like something she'd once had was missing, was lost. And ZanYi couldn't find it.

In the end, the lieutenant didn't take that step. But she did find it in herself to answer. Her golden eyes met Shun's earnest blues, furrowed. "I'm on suspension… and I think it's because General Chen thinks I'm losing it. That I'm going crazy." ZanYi grit her teeth, the irritation and insult coming up to her throat. In the end, however, she couldn't allow it up. Because… "He might be right." Eyes narrowed, she bore her eyes into Shun's, as if gauging him, waiting for his response to that. "What do you have to say to that, Shun Jiang?"

Shun did sigh this time. She thought she was going crazy? Standing up, Shun let go of ZanYi's hands only to take her face in his hands instead. "Listen to me," he implored her, his eyes serious. "You are not going crazy. You're grieving. Everyone grieves in different ways. The only thing I'm worried about is that you're trying to hold it all in, so that all your grief is turned inwards. That might make you feel like you're crazy." Shun searched ZanYi's face. She looked… something. A mixture of exhaustion, irritation, hurt, and loneliness. It hurt Shun to look at her, but he could never take his eyes off of her. "What can I do to help?" he found himself asking. "These are feelings you need to release. I'll spar with you if that helps. Just tell me what you need."

This is how ZanYi knew things were bad: Shun just volunteered himself to spar with her. He'd tried almost everything to get out of it the one time she'd suggested it. Yet here he was, putting it up as his own idea. Just how far was ZanYi falling, to where Shun was willing to put that on the table to just try and help her?

"…I might be open to that," she considered, knowing that if she was feeling desperate, she actually would. If she wasn't allowed to work with the other soldiers, that left no one else. But Shun didn't count as a soldier. Was that a loophole in General Chen's orders? ZanYi couldn't tell. "But you can't help, Shun. You can't take away—"

Zaron's voice?

The night terrors?

The broken promises?

Just what was ZanYi trying to fill into that blank? She didn't know. She didn't know what she was trying to say. And she hated this, hated not knowing anything in her own head, her own mouth. Frustrated, she tore away from Shun, pacing away with a growl. Her life was about structure, order. She could make others organize like that; why wouldn't her mind work the same? Why was it that she suddenly asked so many questions? Why was her every thought consumed by that day? By what she'd could've done better? By Zaron's voice?

_"Don't let this war consume you like it did to me…"_

The echo was enough to send her over. With a roar of irritation, ZanYi hit the nearest thing she could: the picture of her and Zaron on her desk. It flew across the room to crack and splatter against the floor. Glass shattered into tiny diamonds, glistening on the earth. And then all was silent. All was still. ZanYi rested her hands on her desk, hunched over as she tried to breathe, to regain control. She was losing it again and now she had an audience. Another reason she hadn't wanted to come back over here. "You can't help me, Shun. No one can…"

Shun did not want to believe that. In fact, he rejected it with every fiber of his being. He _could_ help ZanYi—he could help her help herself. He just… didn't know how, at the moment. Unwilling to let her temper deter him, he crossed the room to stand in front of her once again.

"Maybe, maybe not," he stated diplomatically. He tilted his head, leaning a little to meet ZanYi's eyes once more. "But it won't stop me from trying," he assured her, a small smile on his face. "No matter how 'crazy' you think you're going to get, I'll still be here. I love you too much to bear walking away now."

Ah, how the giant waterbender relished being able to tell ZanYi he loved her. She may not be able to appreciate it at the moment, but he enjoyed saying it. And he would say it again and again until the stubborn lieutenant actually believed him. It was a little pushy, almost to the point of forcing his feelings on her. But ZanYi had not told him yet to stop saying it—and even if she asked him not to, he probably would not comply. Why deny the truth?

_"I love you, Zaza..."_

ZanYi wanted to clench her head, to block out the sound. She settled for her eyes. There were those words again. Sure, she'd heard them from Zaron. But this was Shun. Shun was not Zaron. And even though their voices melded in the back of her mind, ZanYi still fought to distinguish them. Because Shun was still here. Shun was here and fighting to keep her sane, to just let him be let in on her world right now—even if it was hellish.

"Shun," the lieutenant finally spoke up, opening her eyes and lifting them upward to meet Shun's. She was frowning. "Don't do this to yourself. I can't answer your feelings right now—maybe before all this, maybe in the future. But right now I can't even get myself together. Things aren't like before; I'm a wreck. I won't let my problems tear you down."

Shun almost laughed. Don't do this to himself? As if he meant to fall in love with her—things would be so much easier if he hadn't. But decidedly much less meaningful. "I don't want you to answer my feelings right now," he said, "I just don't want you to forget. And… I've been holding back from saying it so long that I just want to say it all the time now. Forgive me if it annoys you; I just like telling you that I love you." Shun reached out to touch ZanYi's face again, to stroke her cheek with his thumb. "It's okay to be a wreck. You recognize that fact, and you're trying to work through it. That's fine. Just know that I'm here to support you, no matter what. Like it or not, your problems are already my problems. And I'm just fine with that."

ZanYi could only look at him with confusion and perhaps a bit of awe. Through her furrowed brow, she only expressed the former. But the lieutenant could hardly believe the waterbender. Not because she was just not being trusting. No, because for even Shun, this seemed so far out there. Since when had he felt like this? When had things become like this?

Unable to answer either question should have irked her. But right then, ZanYi found herself wanting to take everything he had to offer, to depend on him again. She wanted one thing that wouldn't change anymore. It came in the form of Shun.

_"So let him make you happy… He won't leave you… not like me."_

Zaron's voice came again, but it was like he was trying to answer her questions this time, trying to urge her forward. It still haunted her. But the little sister she was wanted to believe her big brother's words, even if his word was already broken.

"And what if I do depend on you? What happens then?"

Shun wanted to shrug. Who could say? But that wasn't the answer ZanYi was looking for, not with those serious amber eyes, so he thought a little harder. If ZanYi were able to trust him, to be able to depend on him, what happened then? The answer came to him in a manner of seconds.

"Then I become your rock."

Realizing how that might come off, he rushed to correct himself. "Don't get me wrong—I'm not trying to replace your brother. I just want to become a new pillar of strength for you, someone you can always rely on when times get hard. All I ask in return is that you offer the same support to me, should things in my life end up in shambles… well, more than usual." A corner of Shun's mouth quirked upwards at this. Out of everyone in Team Avatar, he was the only one without personal drama going on at the moment, issues with ZanYi notwithstanding. Karma was bound to turn its evil eye upon him eventually.

"This could be an equal partnership, if you want to think of it that way: we'll lend each other strength in times of need. And if a situation ever occurs where we both need support at the same time, we'll just lean on each other." Shun raised ZanYi's chin to give her a smile. "What do you think? Sound good to you?"

ZanYi didn't want to think about it. She wanted to be confident in her decision, and be able to make that confident decision in a matter of moments. She wished she had that certainty again to do that. Faced with nothing less than Shun's steady gaze, the lieutenant let herself think that she could do that again. She just might need a little help.

"…You've got a deal," ZanYi told Shun with a slight incline of her head. "Don't make me regret this, Shun Jiang."

Shun smirked at her warning. Where had he heard those words before? It was so nostalgic. He just hoped that he had not given her any reasons to doubt him so far.

But if prior experiences were still of note, the lieutenant knew he wouldn't. And she would be more than willing to pay every bit of that back to Shun. ZanYi never wanted handouts, never wanted coddling. This would just be another part of the job: Shun.

"Guess this means you're still mine?" ZanYi managed to ask, and maybe, just a bit, there was a ghost of her smirk on her lips.

Shun dangled her dogtags, the metal clinking together. "I'm still wearing my 'collar'. What does that tell you?" he teased. His eyes were intense, however. "I've always been yours, ZanYi. For longer than you realize, in fact. It's just… taken me a while to tell you." He hoped she would not ask why. He couldn't tell her. Syaoran may have given Shun permission to pursue ZanYi, but the giant waterbender would still keep the Avatar's secret. There seemed to be no sense in opening up _that_ can of worms.

And she didn't ask. ZanYi chocked it up to Shun being, well, Shun: embarrassed and shy about it all. It's the way he was with most things concerning the two of them. But she hadn't missed the dogtags—he'd been quite obvious wearing them as of late. If she hadn't been doing her best to avoid him, the lieutenant would have admonished him for it. But there was nothing she could now about that. She could, however, take relief that he still wore them, that he hadn't taken them off.

That would have meant he'd given up on her.

At the prompting, ZanYi looked down to the fang around her neck. Reluctantly, she confided, "I didn't take it off." The lieutenant lifted the necklace, almost frowning at it. "I just… didn't want to."

"I'm glad." Shun's fingers touched the fang briefly. "I had hoped you were keeping it safe for me, even if you hadn't exactly wanted to talk to me for the past few weeks." And the fact that she still wore it gave Shun even more hope. She may not feel for him the way he felt for her, but she at least cared enough to still wear his necklace, even if it was kept tucked away under her shirt and jacket. She was still wearing it—that was all that mattered.

The mood right now was so nice—nothing had been solved just yet, but they were at least taking steps towards it. Shun would hate to ruin it by being greedy. And yet…

"…You can call me weird for asking first," he began with a slight smile, "but… can I hug you? Just for a little bit?" He had already been too touchy-feely with her today; he did not want to push her past her limit. But his arms were aching for her, missing her warmth. If she said no, he wouldn't take it personally. At least he asked instead of surprising her with the contact.

Giving the man a flat look, ZanYi immediately called him, "Weird."

Since when did Shun ever ask for permission? The answer was never. But ZanYi knew things were not like they were before. She'd made that fact very clear. Things weren't going to right back to how they were. But Shun seemed quite intent on staying, despite that.

ZanYi didn't want to push him away this time. Not with everything he was putting forth for her. And for the time being anyway, she was firmly rooted in reality. She wasn't afraid of burning him again. So she relented.

"Go ahead," she told him.

Not needing to be told twice, Shun immediately embraced ZanYi, sighing in content. He had missed this so much. At least not much had changed—she still carried her smoky scent, and she still fit perfectly into his arms.

…Too perfectly, in fact.

"You've lost weight," Shun noted, though he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. ZanYi probably shared his lack of appetite during this trying time. That worried the giant waterbender. "Are you going to be having dinner with us tonight?" Shun would be able to eat if ZanYi did. And if she planned to stay in her room, he could resume his meal delivery service and eat with her. If he could see with his own eyes that she was getting the nourishment she needed, he would be happy.

ZanYi sighed. She supposed she would have to deal with this now too. Shun was too observant; he'd make her eat, some way or other. If anything, he would pester her until she did. And while she didn't exactly want to go, she had to make sure Tiki and Syaoran had sorted things out. That was the main reason for her mandated transfer back to Team Avatar.

"I'll be at dinner tonight," she told him begrudgingly. But if she started having any kind of mental break, the lieutenant would be out of there faster than anyone would even be able to stop her. "Team Avatar's my job again." Though, and she would never admit this to anyone, Shun wasn't necessarily a bad thing to have with her. Unlike her usual self, the back of her mind was still pestering her, questioning whether this was the right decision, to start letting Shun back in. But for once, Zaron's voice was quiet. So ZanYi would take what she could get.

Like Shun's embrace. The way he was holding onto her, ZanYi would have thought that he thought he would never get to do this again. Though the lieutenant did suppose it was warranted; she had nearly killed herself a couple days ago, unable to even tell him whether it was purposeful or not. Okay. His worry was kind of justified this time.

"Good. We might need crowd control, after the scene Tiki and Syaoran apparently caused at lunch today," Shun joked, though the situation was less than amusing. He really hoped the two youngest members of Team Avatar had worked out their differences—the rest of the base was already gossiping about Team Avatar as it was.

Shun sighed, the sound heavier this time. He did not want to let ZanYi go. But he knew that if he did not release her soon, he would get greedier, and he could not afford that. So it was with great reluctance that the giant waterbender relinquished his hold on the lieutenant, taking a step back for good measure. "Thank you," he was sure to tell ZanYi, a smile beginning to stretch across his features. "I know I can get a little… intense. So thank you for putting up with me… and I love you." Shun's face colored a little this time, inexplicably embarrassed, although he had told ZanYi that he loved her a few times before already. Perhaps it was the intimacy of the moment that was making him embarrassed. Either way, the fact that he was embarrassed was making him even more embarrassed, and he fidgeted, averting his eyes.

"Um… I'll, uh, see you at dinner, then," he dismissed himself, turning and walking quickly to ZanYi's door. He needed to be alone to calm down, and he felt comfortable enough with the talk he had with ZanYi to let her be until dinner. He wouldn't hover over her and make a nuisance of himself, but if she ever needed him, he was always right next door.

When the door clicked shut, ZanYi released a sigh, though of its origin, she could not ascertain. The very fabric of her mind and control had been pushed to its limits as of late, almost impossible to handle. And then came Shun. It was enough to make Zaron quiet in her mind, and even this small break of peace was something she wanted to hang on to.

The lieutenant almost went to sit on the bed, but seeing the shattered glass of the frame she'd thrown across the floor, ZanYi knew she had clean up to do. What she was going to do about Shun and his feelings for her could wait. She had a job to do, things to do, and even maybe a bit of hope that she wouldn't completely lose her mind after all.

* * *

Sleep.

It was supposed to be a good thing, wasn't it? A time of rest and recuperation, of preparation for the coming day. And yet, ZanYi found herself almost dreading it each night. Because rest, recuperation, and preparation? None of those had come for her in a while now. Every night, it was the same song and dance. Sometimes she was lucky—she could wake herself up every once in a while, stop the dreams.

But after a day of dealing with Team Avatar, in various respects, as well as a good several hours working out in the training room, that night was not going to be a lucky night.

Late into the night, she tossed and turned, fidgeting in her sleep. The dreams started as flashes. Zaron and her on the island. Bootcamp. On the job together. But the train of memories always came to the same station: the day he died.

_Things grew more vivid. The confidence as he caught up to her. The look on his face as they saw the grenade drop down. The fire. The heat. The shrapnel. Dust exploding up around them. Zaron's still body.  
_  
"No… No, Zar…"

_He was wounded. He was coughing blood. He didn't think he was going to make it…_

"No. Shun can fix it... he'll fix it..."

_Slipping away. Slipping away. Slowly. Then faster. Zaron's eyes glazed over. They closed. His fire went out._

"No… Zaron! Zaron, don't go! ZARON!" the lieutenant bellowed in her sleep, panicked, frantic. He wasn't gone. He couldn't be gone. And yet, the memory would rewind.

_He fell. He was coughing blood again. And again. And again…_

"ZAROOON!"

Next door, Shun jerked away from his covers, the sound of distress coming from ZanYi's room piercing through his dreamless sleep. He stared around in confusion in the dark for a second, feeling as if he, too, were reliving the death of the late sergeant major. But when he looked around and remembered where he was, ZanYi's cries reached him again. Two words sprang to Shun's mind: _night terrors._

Pausing only to grab his canteen, the giant waterbender rushed out of his room and burst into ZanYi's, thankful that the door was unlocked and he wouldn't have to kick it down. There the lieutenant was, thrashing around and tangling herself in her sheets, agony clear on her face. Shun shut the door before he approached her, popping the top off of his canteen as a precaution. He grabbed ZanYi by the upper arms, firmly shaking her.

"ZanYi! ZanYi, wake up!"

_Something was touching her, grabbing her. Someone was calling out to her._

"GET DOWN!"

Zaron cried in her dreams, his arms and body shoving her to the ground. The command made her fight harder, scrambling to get to Zaron. His body was still, so still. She had to get to him, had to make sure he was okay. Zaron was hurt. His blood was everywhere. There was shrapnel in him. He needed help. Where was help?

"Ransik, I need Shun. Now!" ZanYi cried out, hoping as if this time it would be different, this time Shun would get there in time, Zaron would hold on this time…

But nothing changed. He was slipping away again. "Zaron!" the lieutenant called out again, trying to wake him up. "You promised me. YOU PROMISED!"

Shun began to panic. He knew all too well what it felt like to lose the distinction between dreams and reality, when the horrors of reality came to haunt him in his dreams. He could not even reassure ZanYi that it was only a dream—that would be a lie. She was reliving the worst moments of her life, over and over again. There had to be some way he could help. There had to be.

Pulling the tortured woman into his arms, Shun held her tightly, rocking back and forth. "I'm here, ZanYi," he murmured into her ear. "I'm right here. Wake up. Please, wake up." Shun hated seeing ZanYi like this, to have to witness her fall. He hurt when she hurt, and right now, her night terrors were killing them both. He had to wake her up, he had to help her escape that hellish loop of events she seemed to be reliving in her sleep. "Open your eyes, ZanYi. Wake up."

She felt something warm and comforting wrap around her. It was a feeling she knew well, from someone she knew well.

_"I'm the only one here, and I won't judge you. I'm here for you," came Shun's voice this time, in her ear. But ZanYi couldn't tear her gaze from the fire, its pyre her brother. He was gone. Zaron was really gone. He was actually dead.  
_  
"Zar…"

_"...You don't have to look," Shun's voice came again, urging her. And this time, she changed the game. ZanYi closed her eyes, tearing her gaze from the burning body. But the voice didn't stop._

_"I'm here, ZanYi. I'm right here. Wake up. Please, wake up. Open your eyes, ZanYi. Wake up."_

Wasn't Zaron still burning? Wasn't he still dead in front of her eyes? But the voice was so anxious, so desperate to get to her. Shun's voice shouldn't sound like that. It was supposed to sound happy, was supposed to laugh. Something had to be wrong for him to sound like that.

So ZanYi listened. She stopped struggling. She opened her eyes, slowly, hesitantly. But when the golden gaze saw her surroundings, it was not Zaron's dying day, and he wasn't burning. There was a solid chest in front of her eyes, one that the lieutenant knew better than any other. Her breathing started to slow back down, but ZanYi wouldn't lift her eyes, knowing this was reality. Which meant Shun was actually holding her again, had come in the night for her.

This was mortifying to the lieutenant. She was a woman who did not embarrass easily, was never ashamed. And yet, in that moment, ZanYi was. The night terrors had struck again, and now, back in the team's wing, there was someone who heard her. How far had she fallen from grace that she could not hold herself together?

ZanYi couldn't answer herself and thus remained still and silent.

Her sudden silence both relieved and worried Shun. She had become too still in his arms as well. "ZanYi?" Shun pulled back a bit, looking down. ZanYi's eyes were open, and she hadn't attacked him, which must mean she knew where she was. Shun sighed in relief, hugging her again. "Thank goodness. I was so worried." The giant waterbender said nothing more, simply content to hold ZanYi. She must be feeling terrible, and he did not want to make it worse by saying or asking anything. He hoped his physical presence would be enough, a hand running down her back as he held her.

He wanted to ask if she was all right, though. But that would be a stupid question: of course ZanYi wasn't all right. Her pain over her brother's death was hounding her relentlessly, even in her sleep… and Shun knew what it felt like to not be able to have a moment's rest when he needed it most. He knew what it felt like to have the world closing in around him, as if he had no hope of being happy ever again.

"…It wasn't your fault," he felt he had to say, despite his better judgment. If he knew ZanYi like he swore he did, he knew the reason she kept revisiting her brother's dying day: survivor's guilt. There was always something she could have done differently, something that might have saved him if only she had thought of it back then…

Shun hated to see her tearing at herself from the inside: if she needed someone to blame, it might as well be him. He hadn't gotten there in time because he got the message too late. If he had focused and not allowed his comm device to short out, maybe things would have turned out differently.

"Yes, it is my fault."

ZanYi's voice was quiet but certain as she refuted him. His words were not like his arms. The latter of those two was warm, comfortable, familiar. The former were lies, piercing and twisting. ZanYi knew the truth, knew whom to blame. Sure, WeiTai had dropped that grenade; sure, Shun hadn't gotten there in time. But one person was there the whole time and didn't stop it.

Herself.

"If I hadn't lost sight of WeiTai, I would've seen the grenade sooner," ZanYi explained, against her own will. "If I had been paying attention to my surroundings, he wouldn't have had to push me down and could've saved himself. If I hadn't put you purposefully away from the fighting, you could've helped him. If I hadn't agreed to include the take-down of WeiTai in the plans, there wouldn't have even been fighting."

ZanYi had thought about it from every single perspective. There was not a single angle where the fault didn't lie with her.

"ZanYi," Shun sighed, moving his hand from her back to tilt her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his earnest ones. "You couldn't have known what would happen. It's war: no matter how hard we try, no plan can be perfect… nor can any human. You can't blame yourself for something no one saw coming."

The circles under ZanYi's eyes were as dark as ever. Shun ran a thumb over them, his brow furrowing. Just how long was she going to torture herself with this misplaced guilt? The way she described it, it almost sounded as if she had purposefully led her brother to his death, which was unheard of. "You did your job, ZanYi. It's unfair for you, or anyone else, to ask any more of you. It's okay to miss Zaron, and it's okay to grieve for him. Just, please, quit torturing yourself. No matter how much we wish it, we can't turn back time. You did everything you could do. I know that thought is frustrating, and you feel like you could have done more, but you really are only human."

Zaron's death was a terrible accident, and Shun understood that all ZanYi wanted was a do-over, a chance to save her brother. But if the giant waterbender had to be brutally honest with her—and he hoped it would not come to that—he would tell her that nothing could be done now. They could not go back in the past. They could not save her brother. They were only human. She was only human. ZanYi had to understand this fact.

She understood it. She understood it all too well. And that made it all the more painful. ZanYi was a woman who strove for perfection, didn't stop until she got it. She was relentless, and she didn't give up even when the odds were against her—which they had been, so many times.

Yet, it was when she needed that perfection, needed to have no mistakes, that it cost her. It had cost her Zaron.

"Doing my job wasn't enough," the lieutenant told Shun, staring up into those concerned blue eyes. ZanYi's hand went to the cold dogtags around her neck, clenching it tight. "Now I have to live with the consequences of that mistake, no matter what Zaron says…" The last bit she had muttered, but it was too late when she realized that it had come out at all. ZanYi turned away to stare at the wall—or more importantly, away from Shun. First he had to hear her night terrors; now she was talking about hearing her dead brother. How Shun could believe she wasn't crazy, ZanYi couldn't fathom.

Shun couldn't pretend that he wasn't worried that ZanYi was still hearing Zaron's voice in her head. But he wasn't going to judge her for it, either. He just held her tighter. "…What does Zaron say?" the giant waterbender wanted to know, unsure if this would hinder or help the tortured lieutenant. It was unnatural, but Shun was actually curious as to what the late sergeant major seemed to be saying to his sister. As long as the voice of her brother wasn't encouraging her to do anything dangerous, Shun would not fret. He was no counselor, but even he knew that the voices in your head that told you to harm yourself were the bad voices.

ZanYi looked at Shun through the corner of her eyes long enough to give him a sharp look. She didn't want him patronizing her, but it seemed as if he wasn't. In fact, Shun not only seemed sincere, but almost curious about it. The lieutenant wasn't sure how to take that. But—and with great reluctance—ZanYi figured that if he hadn't jumped ship by now, a little more couldn't hurt. He kept saying he was there, no matter how crazy she got… And he was there, in the middle of the night.

Taking a deep breath, the lieutenant decided to answer Shun. "It's all just… things he said before he died, things I remember him saying since we were little," ZanYi started slowly, still looking away from Shun. "…Telling me he loves me, that he wouldn't leave me alone, that I should trust you."

Shun smiled a little. "Smart man," he complimented the late sergeant major, "may the spirits watch over him." Looking down at ZanYi, Shun tilted his head so that he intruded upon the lieutenant's line of vision. "And he says these things a lot? If so, I think the reason you're hearing these words so much is because you don't yet believe them, and he's still trying to convince you." Shun's smile softened. "You should believe him. He did love you, and he didn't leave you alone—I'm sitting right here." Feeling as if this point was inadequate by itself, Shun decided to delve further. "You remember the day Zaron and I sparred? That morning, he dragged me into his office and demanded to know what was up with us. I told him there was nothing, but he didn't believe me… imagine the look on his face when I told him I was in love with his little sister."

Shun chuckled, the once terrifying moment an amusing memory now. "So, of course, he immediately challenges me to a duel. I got the impression that he's had to scare a couple knuckleheads away from you once or twice. And that's why we were sparring that day, ZanYi: I had to prove to him, and to myself, that he could trust me with you. I couldn't tell you this before, because you didn't know anything about my feelings. I even made Zaron promise not to tell. But I like to think that, even though Zaron never meant to die, that he died peacefully, knowing you were in good hands." Shun's hand had found its way back to ZanYi's back, stroking it, when the giant waterbender paused, considering his own words. "I'm sorry. That sounded arrogant," he realized, frowning. And then he sighed. "I won't pretend I knew Zaron well enough to know what he was thinking, but he was a man of his word, and I suspect he felt I was, too."

Slowly, ZanYi looked at Shun again, actually meeting his gaze of her own will now. _That_ was what had happened between the two men? Certainly, Zaron had played the card before, but ZanYi hadn't necessarily thought anything unusual about it. So Zaron _had_ known that Shun loves her. And fought about it. And Shun had won.

No wonder it seemed like some sense had been knocked into her brother. Perhaps some had…

"He told me that you cared about me… more than I realized. Told me that I should… let you make me happy, that you wouldn't leave me…"

ZanYi almost started to see Shun a bit differently. Her brother had known. Shun had fought the way he had because he loved her, not because Zaron was pushing him around. And then Zaron, at his last moments—and still now as his voice echoed in her mind—was pushing her towards the waterbender. Of all the times Zaron had meddled in her life, never had he come out satisfied with anyone. But he had with Shun, right before he died.

The lieutenant didn't know what to make of that. But perhaps leaning on Shun wasn't a bad idea… If Zaron really had known the whole story, and pushed her forward anyway…

In theory, Shun should have been shouting his agreements with Zaron, because there was nothing he wanted to do more than make ZanYi happy.

But that admission of Zaron's slip of the tongue had the giant waterbender flushing bright red. "Wha—he—I—!" Shun paused to stop tripping over his own tongue for a second, "He told you?"

This wasn't fair: Shun wanted to be the one to tell ZanYi that he was in love with her! But it seemed that the giant waterbender was beaten to the punch. Dang his loyalty to Syaoran for making him wait so long.

Shun wanted to be irritated with the late sergeant major, but found that he couldn't, and not because the man was dead. It was because he really had been rooting for Shun—well, ZanYi's happiness, anyway—and had used his dying breaths to say so. Deep down under his mortification, Shun was touched. Right now, however, the giant waterbender wanted to bury his head in the sand somewhere. He sufficed with running a hand down his face and heaving an embarrassed sigh. Glancing toward ZanYi, the giant waterbender had to ask, "If you knew, why did you seem so surprised when I told you?"

"I didn't know," ZanYi told him, brow furrowing a little bit. "It didn't make sense until you told me how you felt. I had just figured he meant that you cared more than I thought, not that you _love_ me."

And she stopped for a moment. It was the first time she'd actually said that aloud—that Shun loves her. It was enough to make her pause for a minute. Letting go of her brother's dogtags, she reached for Shun's fang, remembering how Zaron had brushed over it as he spoke to her in his last moments. Everything made sense in hindsight, knowing the whole picture, including Shun's actions and her brother's words.

There was a rustle in the air, and ZanYi looked away from the necklace to find Xie Xie perched on her shoulder. As the dragonhawk nuzzled ZanYi's face, the lieutenant could only think of how quiet the bird had been. Certainly, Zaron's passing had affected Xie Xie, but still, it wasn't even acting vicious towards Shun, like he always did when the waterbender was near her—and here was Shun completely enveloping her.

In fact, the dragonhawk peered at Shun, as if debating what to do concerning the waterbender. Then he spread his wings and made the hop over to Shun's shoulder, knocking his beak gently into the waterbender's flushed face.

"He's not attacking you…" ZanYi muttered, brow puckered as she watched in mild astonishment. Xie Xie didn't like just about everyone. Even though Master Fei was the one who had hatched him, it was the Tsong siblings that he actually attached to. And the lieutenant hadn't had been around Xie Xie enough to admonish the bird for his treatment of Shun. So how…?

"Zaron…"

Shun had flinched initially when Xie Xie hopped towards him, expecting a mass of pecking for daring to touch his master. That did not happen, however, something that surprised the giant waterbender greatly. Where was the shrieking? The clawing? The pecking? Nothing hostile at all from the bird… it was actually working to be accepting towards Shun. Hesitantly, he raised a hand to pat the bird's head, and it did not slice his fingers open like he expected to. A slow smirk began to form on the giant waterbender's features.

"Maybe you're not so bad," he commented to the bird. Xie Xie clucked its beak at him—Shun wasn't sure what to make of that. He turned to ZanYi for an explanation, both for the bird and the name she'd just spoken. "What about Zaron?" he asked curiously. Yes, they were talking about him, but how did he factor into Xie Xie's sudden attitude change towards Shun?

ZanYi looked slowly away from Xie Xie to Shun, as if the answer should be obvious: an obvious answer that was still awing. "Shun, I didn't train Xie Xie not to attack you," she explained, looking back to the dragonhawk. The lieutenant reached up a hand to it, and Xie Xie bumped his beak into her hand with a soft scrawl. "And he doesn't just warm up to anyone. Ever. So if he's not trying to bite at you, it's because he was trained not to…"

Since she hadn't done it, that only left one person in the world that could have done it: Zaron.

Shun took a moment to take this in, hiding his surprise, for the most part. He hadn't expected that Zaron would even bother to train the bird not to attack him… though, in retrospect, the giant waterbender was very grateful to the late sergeant major for doing so. If he hadn't, Xie Xie would be quite a pain to deal with these days. But then, Shun realized it was not for his sake that the bird was trained.

"See? He really wanted you to be happy," Shun claimed, as if Xie Xie's new behavior proved everything. Smiling down at the lieutenant, he added, "And I'd love the chance to make you happy. Again, I'm not pushing you to make a decision right now. I just want you to remember that I'm here for you. Always."

Daring to risk it, Shun placed a gentle kiss on ZanYi's forehead. Xie Xie didn't attack him for such an act, so Shun thought it was safe to believe that he and the bird could get along from then on… of course, nothing was set in stone. ZanYi's mood towards him would also be a great factor, he suspected. Shun would have to watch out for the bird whenever ZanYi seemed to be in a temper with him.

For ZanYi, this was all getting to be almost a bit too unbelievable. How had Zaron set all of this up? How had it all managed to happen, leaving it neatly wrapped for ZanYi to figure out as she went on without him? Though Shun had seemed mortified that Zaron had told her that the waterbender had stronger feelings for her, ZanYi was actually a bit satisfied that her brother had known. It had led him to accepting Shun, retraining Xie Xie, and everything pushing her forward.

It meant leaving Zaron in the past, dead. But knowing that Zaron wanted all of this for her, that he was—in a way—still looking out for her… it lifted some of the sadness she'd been carrying around. And it meant she actually wasn't alone, not completely.

There was a bit of resignation in her exhale as the lieutenant looked at Shun. "I still can't answer you right now," ZanYi started, serious. Then, hesitantly, she added the clause, "But give me some time and I just might."

Some of her former confidence returning, before she could stop herself and overthink it, ZanYi slipped her hand behind Shun's neck and pulled him down to meet her lips. Despite everything that had happened, despite the changes in their lives, the lieutenant still liked the feel of her lips on his. Pulling away, ZanYi looked into his blue eyes with a phantom smirk on the corner of her mouth.

"Just hang in there, Big Guy."

Shun's face flushed red, a hesitant hand going to his lips, as if he could not believe it. "It's… going to be hard, if you do that out of the blue…" he pointed out, already struggling to restrain himself. He could definitely respect that ZanYi needed more time before she could give him a proper answer, but to just kiss him like that… Shun enjoyed kissing ZanYi, but having her randomly kiss him as she was still making up her mind was going to cause him all kinds of confusing feelings and frustrations. He didn't need that right now… but he would not exactly be adverse to it… ugh, he was struggling to make up his mind on whether or not he wanted ZanYi to kiss him in such a trying time in her life. It was aggravating.

Shun shook his head, displacing all thoughts that didn't revolve around ZanYi's happiness—with some difficulty. Their talk tonight seemed to do her some good—seemed to. Only in the morning would Shun be able to tell whether or not ZanYi was legitimately feeling better. And there was still plenty of the night left for her to change her mind…

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" the giant waterbender offered, fingertips brushing against ZanYi's face. He would not stay if she didn't want him to—he just wanted to make sure she felt safe as she slept, to try and beat back the night terrors that plagued her. She had been his safety net when he felt like he was falling through insanity… now it was his turn to be that net for her.

ZanYi had to think on that offer. She was dangerous enough when she was woken up prematurely; couple that with night terrors, and that just sounded like a terrible combination. It was a miracle that she hadn't tried to torch Shun for coming in already. And if the dreams started back up in her sleep while Shun stayed with her…

But at the same time, the two of them almost seemed okay. For the first time in weeks—since Zaron's death—ZanYi almost felt like she had her feet firm on the ground. That was on Shun, with a bit of Zaron's hand from beyond the grave. Right now, in that moment, the lieutenant was feeling more confident, feeling steadier.

In the end, she decided she didn't want to lose that again.

"I don't know what'll happen if I go back to sleep," ZanYi warned him, staring him straight in the eyes. "But… if you decide to stay, I won't stop you."

Shun grinned, despite knowing that the warning was very real. "I think I'll take my chances," he stated, picking up his sloshing canteen to demonstrate that he was prepared for the worst-case scenario. He knew this probably would not become a habit, however—he made it a point not to stay in ZanYi's room overnight unless she needed him to. But tonight, he would stay because he wanted to.

There was just one problem he had to conquer first.

"Hey, bir—uhm, Xie Xie," Shun addressed the bird by name. "I appreciate that you're much nicer to me now, but, do you think you could, uh, you know, shoo? I can't sleep with you on my shoulder." Xie Xie merely peered at Shun, its raptor gaze fixed on him. It was kind of creeping the giant waterbender out. "How do I get him to leave me alone?" Shun asked ZanYi, giving her a martyred look. "It's cool that he's nice and all, but I'm not sure if I'm really a bird person."

Xie Xie clicked its beak—Shun had the sinking suspicion that the bird could understand him when he spoke. That added to its creepiness.

Shun's ineptitude with the dragonhawk was enough make ZanYi snicker for the first time in weeks. It felt good, even if at Shun's expense. "We may have to train you now," she told him, but nonetheless reaching her arm out to Xie Xie. The bird eagerly landed back on the lieutenant's arm with a coo. Clicking her teeth, ZanYi raised her arm up in the air for Xie Xie to rise up. Obediently, the dragonhawk flew back over to his roost across the room without complaint. He did, however, keep its gaze squarely on Shun for another minute before settling back in to go back to sleep.

Turning back to Shun, she said, "That's how you do it." Which got rid of Xie Xie, but left just ZanYi and Shun. He still had an arm wrapped around her, a hand on her back to support her. Even to the point of coming in there in the middle of the night, talking to her, leaving the comfort of his own sleep and about to resume it in there with her just so she wouldn't be alone, Shun was constantly supporting her. If she were to take Shun's take on Zaron's promise, she wasn't really left alone. Because she had Shun. All of this, and she still had Shun.

There was a feeling of overwhelming relief, knowing that, in an unconventional way, Zaron had not broken his promise. He wasn't the one to be there for her anymore, but he'd left someone that would step up. As long as Shun was Shun, ZanYi wouldn't be alone.

Somber, ZanYi had a scrutinous expression on her face as she gaze up at Shun. "You know you can't walk away now, right? You promised you wouldn't leave me alone… Don't make a liar out of yourself and Zaron. Otherwise, I…"

She didn't know what she would do. But whatever it was, ZanYi almost felt like it would be something like she'd been going through the past couple weeks. It was not something she wanted to continue to endure—or ever again.

Shun tore his gaze away from the creepy bird to focus on ZanYi. She did not need to finish that sentence for him to realize what she meant. Telling himself sternly that this was the last time for now, Shun leaned over and briefly met ZanYi's lips with his before pulling her completely into the shelter of his arms again. "I'd never do that to you," he promised her, his voice low. "I couldn't walk away, even if I wanted to. I love you."

Even now, she had doubts? Or was she trying to warn him? Shun almost laughed at that; he firmly believed that it had been too late to ever leave her alone the moment he realized she had a penchant for being reckless. Love or not, Shun was sure that he would still be watching over her—just maybe with less fervor if he wasn't in love with her. Shun's problem was that he cared about people too much, so he couldn't help it when he put his whole heart into things. He just had to give it his all and hope for the best.

ZanYi could take that. It was still hard to just take him at his word, but the lieutenant more than wanted to at this point. If there was going to be someone in her life now that she was going to have to depend on, to lean on, it was going to be Shun. There was no one else.

Face in his chest again, the firebender almost had the inkling feeling that this was right, that this was how she was supposed to be. Morning would come. Another day would pass knowing that Zaron was gone, that she would never see him again. And it would be so hard. But with Shun? In all of his determination and patience and fervor for her? Maybe, just maybe, the guilt and pain would at least start to fade.

"Good," was all she said, "Because you're mine, Shun Jiang."

Shun smirked. Though he would not dare to claim ZanYi as his own—at least not yet—it was still nice to know that she wanted him enough to claim him. "And I'll belong only to you," he promised her, hugging her to him as he eased them back on the bed so that he was lying on his side, ZanYi still held securely in his arms. "Rest easy, ZanYi. I'll be here when you wake up." It was an easy promise to fulfill, but a promise nonetheless. Shun was going to start making it a point to follow through on his promises to her, come what may. He could certainly talk the talk, but even he knew that would not be enough for ZanYi: he would have to walk the walk as well.

Fine by Shun. He could step up to the challenge, if it meant he got to hold ZanYi like this more often. To have never known this kind of love before, and yet to be so desperately in it… it was an odd feeling. But it was not unpleasant. Not at all.

ZanYi settled into him further, content where she lay. Normally such affection of this variety between them was for Shun's benefit. But tonight, the lieutenant found herself taking her own satisfaction from it. She could not pinpoint the rhyme or reason, but she did. It's not like her and Zaron were exactly the most affectionate of siblings; hugs had been a rarity, with kisses on the cheek appearing never. They'd always been content in sharing their fire.

With Shun, she could not do that; ZanYi would burn him. But if it meant exchanging flames for nights like this, where he held her tight in those rippling arms of his, the lieutenant could work with that.

"I'm going to hold you to that…" ZanYi muttered sternly, but she was exhausted. Weeks upon weeks were crashing down upon her, and the emotional rollercoasters that she was not accustomed to were finally slowing down. Her eyes drifted to a close, the last thing she remembered seeing was the crook of Shun's shoulder, where she nestled her head.

Shun chuckled to himself. For all her fire, ZanYi was still as docile as anyone else when she slept. It was adorable how her mountain-tiger persona devolved into that of a kitten when her defenses were let down while she slumbered. Shun gently stroked her dark hair, letting his fingers trail through it. It had gotten a lot longer—he was surprised ZanYi hadn't cut it by now. Then again, her mind had been occupied elsewhere for the past few weeks…

Shun liked her hair longer. He hoped she would never cut it. Settling his head down on the pillow, Shun closed his eyes, taking comfort in the fact that he would be there if ZanYi's night terrors came for her again. It was a good thing he had switched rooms with Syaoran after all—even if they had a wall between them, Shun could be there for ZanYi in a flash when she needed him. And he would continue to be there for her, until… well, who knew? Shun was hoping for the rest of their lives, but he shouldn't get ahead of himself; ZanYi had yet to decide her feelings for him. There was something between them, sure, but was it simply attraction for her? Or was it something more that the lieutenant had yet to delve into…?

Whatever it may be, Shun was not going to prod her. He wanted ZanYi to be absolutely sure of her decision before she committed to it, because, like she said, there was no way either of them could walk away, once their decisions were made. After falling in love with ZanYi, Shun would never be the same again.

* * *

**A/N from Eva: D'aww. ALL the ShunYi in this chapter! Loving it. XD Seems like things are starting to get better for Team Avatar...let's hope they stay that way! (No promises, though.)  
**

**Revolution but Civilization: ...I almost wanna say you slipped in another reference in your review right under our noses. Unfortunately, I cannot be sure. XP We're glad Tiki's POV entertains you, as well as our picking on Syaoran. XD It seems like we're always cruel to him, but things DO get better for the Avatar...eventually. XP Thank you for your continued support!  
**

**japaneserockergirl: Hahaha, sorry for continuously adding to your mountain! XD I know what readjusting to college life is like after break, so I don't blame you one bit! XD We hope you're pleased with the way Team Avatar is progressing now, though! Thanks for adding us to your Author Alert, and also for adding Water to your Story Alert! We appreciate you and your love for our work so much! :D**

**ozai37: You're welcome! :D We like to acknowledge all of our fans, because the support means so much to us. We try to update once a week, but sometimes, like last week, life gets in the way. :P Thanks for your continued support and patience!**

**TrojanHalks2012: Thank you so much for adding all three of our books to your Favorite Story list, as well as for the Author Alert and the Story Alert adds! You rock! We hope you continue to enjoy Book Three! :D**

**Same Guest: Yep, Team Avatar sure is something, whether they mean to be or not. :P The general isn't new, though; he's been working above ZanYi for quite some time now, which is why he's so concerned about her. And yeah, Tiki is a bit of a handful as well, but it looks like she and Syaoran are gonna be alright. :) We're so pleased that you're enjoying the character development! Our characters are like our children, and seeing others enjoy them and watching them bloom is just too awesome for words! Thank you!**

**ANewbutOldGuest: O.O Oh my goodness, if this fic got a fan base...I don't even think I can imagine that, it would be way too awesome for words. XD DJ and I just refer to the series as 'War', but hey, far be it from us to tell the fans what they can and can't call it. Feel free to refer to it as TWE if you'd like. :D We humbly thank you, as always, for your continued love and support!**

**Wiechcheu1925: Thanks for favoriting Fire! :D We hope you're enjoying the rest of the series as well! :D**

**Puttekara: Why hello, friend from Sweden! Glad you could join us! :3 And WOW, we are so very honored that you enjoy our story so much! I like your analogy with the table, very applicable to Team Avatar. XD I get what you mean with the OC and AU stories, because you never really know what you'll get with them. :P We're so glad our story is the exception to your rule! Thank you for your support, and we hope we continue to make your weekends! :D**

**xavierfincher: Sorry, FF won't let me add the dot in your name. :( But thanks for the Story Alert for Fire! We hope you've found your way to the rest of the series as well, and are continuing to enjoy it! :D**

**Masseffect321: Ha ha, we hope you haven't been hit yet! The hole idea sounds like a good idea, though bombs have stopped raining for now. XD ZanYi's working her way back to normal-ish with Shun's help, so we'll see how goes! Thanks as always, and we hope you continue to read and enjoy!**

**So much love~! I just want to roll around and wrap me and DJ in it as armor as we do battle with the real world, hahaha. XD With your support, dear readers, we can face and conquer anything! Thank you so much, and we'll see you next week!**


	5. The Next Move

**Avatar: The Warring Earth**

**Book Three—Water**

**By Twins of the Pen**

**Disclaimer: Avatar in itself belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryan Konietzko/Michael DiMartino. The only things that belong to Twins of the Pen are the original characters.**

* * *

The day was beautiful. Clouds spotted the sky with grace and the late summer sun filtered through canopies of green trees below. But the wind was… violent.

With a huge intake of breath, Syaoran let it out in his movements, pinwheeling and turning as the wind carried him up, away from Tiki's swift movements below. As he came spiraling back down to the ground below, he used what was left of his air to blow it in a huge gust at the small airbender.

Bigger person equals bigger lungs, which seemed especially useful in airbending. Especially against the tiny Tiki. Syaoran picked that up real quick once they had actually started sparring together. And a gust like this one, this far into the spar, was just what he needed to win. It was enough to make Tiki fly back and onto her backside, ending the spar. Landing softly on the ground, Syaoran jogged and stood over her, a look of victory on his face. "My match again, Tiki," he declared, reaching a hand down to pull the girl back up. "I win."

Which was becoming more and more of a norm—every other day. They'd started operating on the principle of varying their morning practice times for the past couple weeks. Much to the dismay of his airbending teacher, the days Syaoran got to sleep more were the days he tended to do better than Tiki—though his victories in sparring were not limited to such days. Just more likely.

"How'd I do?" he asked, panting a little, breathless.

Tiki was equally as short for breath, and she used Syaoran's hand to pull herself up gratefully. "Really, really well," she complimented him, surprised, pleased, and a tad disgruntled all in one. She had expected him to be stuck in the confining structures of earth and firebending, unable to branch out as he endeavored to master airbending. But the Avatar had cottoned on quick to the fact that with airbending, he could improvise wildly and still come out on top. So although Syaoran seemed to not know what he was doing sometimes, he was still able to pull off some pretty slick moves. The tiny airbender grinned and patted Syaoran's shoulder. "You've excelled, Syaoran. I don't think there's anything left for me to teach you. You've successfully mastered airbending," she commended him, beaming proudly. He had come very far in the past two weeks, refining his technique while putting his own spin onto airbending. It pleased Tiki to know that her work here was done, and that if she decided to return to the airbenders, it was with the knowledge that she had given Syaoran her all. He was turning into a great Avatar right before her very eyes… and it made him all the more attractive to her.

Tiki coughed self-consciously, looking elsewhere. Those particular feelings she was working to keep under control, even now. It would not be good to distract Syaoran with things he didn't need to know about.

Normally Syaoran would have felt very triumphant right about then, but for one, he was still out of breath, so he could not express that. And two, this success meant that Tiki might leave soon. _That_ was no reason to celebrate.

"Well, I learned what I could from this pipsqueak I know…" he poked fun at her between pants, but the line of his mouth was curved up a bit. For all the jokes and her attitude, Tiki had been a very good teacher, especially considering how long it took him to actually catch on to airbending. The Avatar knew for a fact that ZanYi would not have been so patient. He was thankful firebending was the element that resembled earthbending most closely, despite its vast differences. "So, I guess I'm supposed to start waterbending now, huh?" he mused, a bit disappointed. The last thing he wanted was for Tiki to leave; Syaoran almost cursed the fact that he had gotten good at airbending. Another one of his teachers was trying to leave once their job was done—seriously, what was with this phenomenon? Was he just a job to these women?

Syaoran knew that wasn't true, and he knew that his teammates did have other concerns aside from him and his learning. Still, it didn't mean he wasn't going to be a bit bitter about it.

Tiki ignored his jibe at her height, considering herself too mature to stoop to responding to that… although her nose did wrinkle a little. She knew he was only teasing, so she didn't mind it much.

"Yep: your last element," Tiki replied, beaming proudly once again. Her little Avatar was all grown up. "So, who are you going to choose as your waterbending teacher? You have a couple more options, unlike with airbending—sorry about that." Asking was merely a formality—Tiki suspected that Syaoran would choose Shun as his waterbending teacher, despite the awkwardness that was slowly dissipating between the two. Shun might not use his waterbending skills often in an offensive capacity, preferring his healing talents instead, but he was still really good at it. Also, he was patient: judging by how long it took Syaoran to access his airbending potential, he was going to need a patient waterbending teacher.

Syaoran put his hands on his sides. Tiki had a point: he kind of did have more options. ZanYi had been basically dumped on him for firebending, and Tiki had been the only real option for airbending. But with waterbending? There were waterbenders everywhere! Originally Ransik had volunteered himself, and the master sergeant was really good at his job, definitely. But still…

"Well, if I've got my choice, I'd have to go with Shun," he said easily. "If waterbending is anything like airbending, I'm going to need all of the patience the man's got. Somehow another military approach like ZanYi's doesn't sound appealing."

Not that the lieutenant hadn't done her job and well. ZanYi definitely knew what she was doing when she taught, despite her unorthodox methods. Just fire had been the only element so far to come to him before having to learn it. Airbending had been a horrible affair-but it was also the opposite of earthbending. He could only hope waterbending would be easier, though with his luck it would not be as natural as firebending.

"Besides, we've got to keep the team together. Keep things in the 'family'," he added, giving Tiki a particular look. The Avatar could only hope that she hadn't decided on leaving, or at least yet. If this really was the end of his airbending training, then he had to help her make the decision to stay. Rolling his shoulders back to work out the kinks, Syaoran then ushered Tiki forward, brushing past the topic. "C'mon, let's go to lunch and talk to the other two about this."

Tiki sighed quietly to herself. Syaoran almost sounded like a mob boss just then, but Tiki knew that he was referring to her indecision. He would hint every so often that she belonged with Team Avatar… with him. Tiki tried not to take it the wrong way, but her heart swelled whenever he made comments like that. It made her feel wanted, which was nice, but like Syaoran told her with the Kei situation, it wasn't enough just to want to be wanted. Tiki's mind was still undecided, as well as her heart. Either option was going to be painful for her, just in varying degrees. It was this looming decision that kept her wide-awake at night, contemplating her choices. She didn't want to spend her waking hours dwelling on it as well.

When they entered the dining hall, Tiki sent a wave over to Shun and ZanYi before grabbing a tray of food and joining them at the table. ZanYi looked calm and collected as usual, but there was a rather pleased look on Shun's face as he ate. Tiki found herself smiling in response. "You seem to be in a good mood," she teased the giant waterbender. Shun nonchalantly lifted a shoulder.

"It's a nice day."

"Because you would know that, being underground all day."

Shun furrowed his brow at the tiny airbender, but she merely giggled at him. His good mood had returned gradually with the return of ZanYi to their team—Tiki would have to be an idiot to miss that correlation. He could brush it off all he wanted, but Tiki saw right through him. It was nice to have the happy Shun back as well as ZanYi.

ZanYi gave the waterbender a look before returning to her own food. She knew exactly why he seemed to think it was a nice day. Shun made it all too obvious that he was happy she'd started eating more, even if it was just lunch or dinner—rarely was it both. And despite the fact that he was often woken in the middle of the night, Shun was a bit more chipper the next day every time he stayed the night.

Syaoran sat down with his tray of food, eagerly diving in. With increased airbending came increased appetite; Tiki was working him almost twice as hard on the days where he managed to win over a morning's sleep. But the Avatar didn't mind. "What are we talking about?" Syaoran asked, trying to catch up in-between bites.

"Just how Shun needs a life and to get out of the base more often," ZanYi quipped without looking, focused on finishing up her meal. Tiki burst into giggles; even Shun smirked at this. ZanYi making fun of him meant that she was getting better, and that was a good sign to everybody.

"So anyway," Tiki said as soon as her laughter subsided, "I believe Syaoran has successfully finished his airbending training and is ready to move on to waterbending."

"Wow. Congratulations, Avatar," Shun complimented Syaoran with a smile.

"Oh, it gets better," Tiki added. "Syaoran chose you as his waterbending teacher."

Shun swallowed too fast at this news; he had to down his glass of water to get the food down his throat so he could breathe. "M-me?" he stuttered, looking incredulously between the two youngest members of Team Avatar. "I don't know what to say…"

"How about 'training starts first thing tomorrow morning'?" Tiki suggested. Shun ignored her, choosing to focus on the Avatar.

"Syaoran, are you sure about this?" Shun wanted to know, his brows furrowing in concern. "Don't get me wrong, I'd love to teach you… I just feel like there are better qualified teachers here on the base. You should have the best waterbending teacher you can find."

Tiki actually rolled her eyes at this. "You _are_ the best, Shun… although you're adorable when you're modest," she teased him lightheartedly, making the giant waterbender blush. The tiny airbender nudged Syaoran. "Go on, convince Shun to be your waterbending teacher. It shouldn't be too hard, since he's a giant pushover."

"I can hear you, Teeks."

"But am I wrong?"

"Exactly."

Syaoran was relieved at the atmosphere. Everything was starting to feel the way it was supposed to. Team Avatar was back to being, well, Team Avatar. Tiki was happier than she's been in months, Shun was back to being cheerful, and even ZanYi seemed to be making strides to regaining her swagger. It only affirmed his decision.

"Shun, let's face it: if I suck at waterbending, I'm going to need your patience. And you're as good as they come. We've all seen you in action when it comes down to it. You're a healer, but you know how to waterbend." The Avatar actually stopped eating for a minute to level a gaze at Shun. "You know my learning style more than anyone else would because you've been there while I learned the other elements. I want you to teach me, Shun."

ZanYi looked up to shift her gaze between the Avatar and the waterbender next to her. Clearly Shun was quite embarrassed and it made her roll her eyes. "Don't be a wimp and just do it, Shun," she told him, reaching for her drink. "Syaoran's right for once so listen to him."

Shun shot a brief frown at ZanYi—he was _not_ being a wimp!—before refocusing on Syaoran. The Avatar seemed quite adamant that Shun teach him waterbending. It was just like the time they had all asked him to stay as the healer of their group—how could he say no?

"…All right. I accept," the giant waterbender decided, causing Tiki to beam at him. He returned the smile before his mind shifted to other things, such as a training schedule, where to start, where to practice… Shun frowned. Being underground was not exactly conducive to teaching waterbending, was it? "…But I can't teach you here," Shun said, glancing about the room as if it was oppressing him with its earthy structures. "We need to go somewhere else. Somewhere with a lot of water."

"Maybe we can head back to Southern Air Island?" Tiki suggested hopefully, hoping that returning to her aunt's would help her find a middle ground in between staying with Team Avatar and helping the airbenders. But Shun shook his head.

"I was thinking one of the poles," he explained, a hand rubbing the scruff on his chin. "South, perhaps. It's a few degrees warmer than the north, on average."

ZanYi sat in silence, a look of distaste on her face. She understood Shun's reasoning—from the teaching perspective, it made perfect sense so that the Avatar would get rounded training. But that meant she had to go with them. To one of the poles, the South one apparently.

A few degrees warmer or not, it was going to be cold. Freezing. Frigid. Taking a firebender to a place like that sounded like a terrible idea to her. There's a reason it was an age-old punishment to put them in coolers: they don't deal with the cold well. ZanYi liked warm, hot even. She grew up on a tropical island. She'd been imprisoned in a freezer. Now she was going to the South Pole.

Fantastic.

Tiki also made a face. "The poles? It's going to be freezing!" she immediately complained. Shun turned an amused expression onto the tiny airbender.

"Yes, but it's a good way for Syaoran to practice with ice in his waterbending as well," he pointed out. Tiki did not look convinced.

"I may just return to Southern Air Island to avoid the frostbite," she muttered to herself, only in jest… for the most part.

The poles? Syaoran had to admit he grimaced a bit at that. It was going to be cold, no matter which pole they were at. He had imagined that they would need somewhere that was conducive to waterbending—hence somewhere with a lot of water. However, the Avatar had not expected Shun to suggest the poles. It made sense though. And if they were at the South Pole, Tiki would be close to Southern Air Island. If an emergency came up, she'd be able to go and come back…

"South Pole sounds good by me," Syaoran agreed, nodding to Shun's suggestion. He looked to Tiki, trying to contain his hope and excitement. "Think about it, Tiki: if we go to the South Pole, you could still run things if the council needs you because you're close by. But you wouldn't have to leave the team to do that. You could stay with us, even work on your airbending. I'm sure you've never worked with frozen air before…"

This could actually be the answer, the closest thing to a middle ground they could get. Syaoran just hoped that Tiki wouldn't leave. He was going to need something to keep his head on straight—it was going to be cold, which would probably push him to his limits just on that alone.

Tiki made another face, this time at Shun. "Frozen air sounds like it'll be harder to move," she grumbled, but the hopeful look in Syaoran's eyes melted her disapproval away. "But yes, it's closer to my aunt's place this way… I guess it all won't be so bad… we're still going to turn into popsicles though…"

"It won't be that bad," Shun assured Tiki with a laugh, "despite what you may think, igloos are pretty warm. With a roaring fire in the middle, it'll be as toasty as being outside on a summer's day… just with more snow."

"Igloos?" Tiki questioned; her incredulous tone made Shun laugh.

"I'm just kidding, Teeks. Of course we've upgraded to houses now—equipped with fully functional fireplaces and heating systems. You won't get frostbite, I promise."

Tiki snorted and focused on eating her salad. Shun turned then to ZanYi with a wary eye. Sure enough, the distaste on the lieutenant's face spoke volumes: ZanYi was not pleased about this course of action, and Shun knew why: firebenders did not do well in cold places. Shun placed a hand on ZanYi's shoulder, squeezing briefly. "Don't worry: I won't let you freeze," he assured her with a smile. Turning back to the table at large, the giant waterbender continued, "Before we head for either pole, though, we'll have to gather some supplies. I don't know how long we'll stay, so we'll need to get warmer clothes, a supply of food, since the water tribe of the South can be pretty scattered… we'll need a lot of equipment if we want to survive." Here, Shun frowned. "We may have to stop in Republic City to get these supplies."

Tiki glanced up sharply. "I don't want to go back there," she said immediately, looking at Shun as if he was crazy for even suggesting such a thing. "It's not safe for me there, remember? I don't want to go back." That was where her parents were killed… How could Shun ask her to return to that hateful city? She couldn't. She wouldn't.

"I know, Teeks," Shun replied, looking regretful, "but Republic City has a lot of things we may need to survive. I wouldn't ask otherwise. And it's going to be a long trip—your sky bison will have to rest eventually, don't you think?"

He had Tiki there—curse his logic. Tiki looked down at the table, the hands in her lap balling into fists. She had hoped she would never have to step foot inside that city ever again, but Shun did have a point: they needed supplies if they were going to survive on their own while Syaoran learned waterbending. Tiki did not want to go to Republic City, but it appeared she had no choice. Finally, Tiki raised her eyes to Shun's again and nodded. "As long as we're able to get in and get out," she added as a condition. Shun nodded solemnly in return.

"You have my word: we won't stay longer than we need to."

"Good," Syaoran agreed with a somber nod. There was no way he liked the idea of going back to Republic City. Tiki was wanted there, and even if the charges were in the process of being dropped on ZanYi, her face was still out there on those phony posters. Both of them were at risk if they went back, not to mention what had happened last time they were there.

Reaching over to Tiki, the Avatar gave her head a ruffle. "Don't worry, nothing bad will happen this time," he assured her before going back to his food. This time they knew what to expect waiting for them in the city, and they were stronger than they were last time—_he_ was stronger than last time. Syaoran wasn't going to let anything touch them this time, wasn't going to let anything mess with Tiki again.

ZanYi shot Shun a look that clearly said how much she didn't necessarily love this plan of action. Going back to Republic City was risky, but it was necessary for everything they would need to make it in the South Pole. The lieutenant almost grimaced at the thought alone, despite whatever Shun may say. She hated the cold that much.

ZanYi stood, picking up her not quite empty tray of food. "I'm going to go put in our notice of departure to the general so we can get the ball moving on this. Be prepared to move out first thing tomorrow morning," she dictated, taking the lead as she was supposed to. With a brief nod to the group, the lieutenant strode off briskly to dump her tray and head out of the dining hall, presumably to settle the matter with General Chen.

"Tomorrow morning?" Tiki sighed. "Credit to ZanYi for working fast, as always." The tiny airbender got to her feet as well, her tray in her hands. "Then I'm going to go visit Bumi and make sure he's fed and rested for our long trip tomorrow. Wanna come, guys?"

"I'll pass," Shun decided, standing up. "I want to say goodbye to the waterbenders here properly before we depart tomorrow. They've all been really supportive, and I want to let them know how much I appreciate it."

Tiki nodded to Shun before turning to Syaoran. "How about you, Syaoran? Bumi gets lonely when he doesn't have company for a while, so I think your visit will please him." And Tiki wanted to be alone with Syaoran for a little while longer. But the Avatar didn't need to know that much.

Syaoran stood up too, since everyone else seemed to be getting up and leaving. He was done eating anyway, which was a good thing. As per usual, once things started happening, they happened fast. They were given just one more night before things got hectic again—not that they weren't now. With a shrug of his shoulders, he looked to Tiki. "Sure, why not?" he agreed. It's not like he had much to prepare. Most of his time on base had been spent with Tiki, though he would have to say goodbye to his mother and sister tonight. Maybe they would finally tell him where his father was…

But before he could think much more about that, with a smile, Tiki grabbed Syaoran's tray as well and hurried off to dispose of them before returning to the Avatar's side. "Let's go," she urged him, taking his hand and tugging him out of the dining hall. Shun watched them go, smiling slightly. They seemed to be getting along well nowadays, although nothing appeared to have changed in their relationship. This made Shun curious: Tiki was the type to say what was on her mind, no matter how odd it sounded. What was holding her back from telling Syaoran she liked him? The giant waterbender would have to ask the next moment he had alone with Tiki. He wanted to hear why, exactly, the tiny airbender was hiding how she felt from the Avatar when it was obvious they cared for one another… or was it only Shun who saw it? Maybe that was a conversation he would have with ZanYi when he was alone with her as well.

* * *

"Hi Bumi! Did you miss me?"

The sky bison grunted a greeting, his large tongue protruding to lick Tiki's face with an almighty slurp. Rather than grossing the tiny airbender out, it made her giggle and pat Bumi's head affectionately. "I thought so. Look, Syaoran came to visit, too. Say hello!" Bumi obligingly licked Syaoran's face as well, causing Tiki to laugh even more. "He likes you," she commented, running her fingers through the fur on Bumi's head, particularly the dark patch of fur that created his arrow.

"Charming," Syaoran agreed sardonically, the side of his face now dripping with Bumi's slobber. Using his sleeve, he wiped it all off of his face at the least, already feeling better once it was off of him. But he wasn't sour about it; he had no qualms with Bumi. "Hey there, big… furry… bison," he greeted the sky bison awkwardly, reaching up to pet the beast as well. Bumi seemed pleased with all of the attention, and he let out a friendly roar. It was enough to make the corner of his lip quirk up. "So, I guess we're hitting the skies again tomorrow morning, huh? How early do you think ZanYi will make us get up?"

"Probably before dawn," Tiki speculated. A slight frown creased her brow as she told Bumi, "I hope they're feeding you like ZanYi said. I can't have you dying of hunger in the middle of our flight tomorrow."

As if he knew she needed the reassurance, Bumi let out a huge belch. Tiki promptly covered her mouth and nose, the smell overwhelming. "Phew! What are they feeding you, garbage? Jeez!" Heedless of her discomfort, Bumi raised his head to sniff at Tiki's hair, deciding to chew on it. The tiny airbender's eyes widened, and she bopped him on the nose.

"Bumi, no! My hair is not something to eat!" she scolded the sky bison. Bumi promptly let go, and a disgusted look crossed Tiki's face as she tried to wring the sky bison spit out of her hair. "I remember when you used to chew on Mom's ponytail whenever she got too close," Tiki grumbled, "She always hated that."

At the mention of Bumi's former master, the sky bison let out a sad grunt and settled his head down on the ground. His disheartened behavior tugged at Tiki's heartstrings, and she resumed her patting of the beast's head. "I know. I miss them too."

When Tiki resumed to pet Bumi, Syaoran stopped and reached over to Tiki, slinging an arm around her shoulders and using that hand to pat her head. The Avatar knew where her thoughts were at the moment, and it was dismaying to see the memories plague Tiki like that. "Yeah, I know you miss them," Syaoran told her, his voice pensive as he thought back to the brief moments he'd even met them. If there was one thing that he could get out of those moments, it was how much they loved their daughter. And that was something that Tiki would never forget. "But hey, at least you get to have those memories, right?" he tried to cheer her up, grasping the first thought he could think of. "Let them make you laugh and enjoy them. Your parents would want you to laugh."

Tiki was someone who enjoyed the little things in life, who even in the earliest times he'd known her had found a way to laugh at anything and everything. She was finally starting to do that again, and it suited her. Syaoran didn't want that to stop. He liked it too much, liked _her_ too much.

The airbender glanced up at Syaoran, seeing the trepidation on his face. She forced herself to smile, not wanting to worry the Avatar. "I know," she answered him, her gaze returning to Bumi, patting his head. "I try to do that. Some days are just… harder… than others." Today was an okay day for the tiny airbender, but tomorrow would be one of the hard days, given the fact that they were revisiting the city her parents had been murdered in. Had they managed to fix the island she nearly destroyed? Or had they left it in disarray, to display the destructive powers of benders, and why they should all be put down like rabid dogs? Tiki had no idea whether she wanted to cry or be furious.

"Has your mom told you where your dad is yet?" Tiki asked for a change of subject. Shima and Sora had mostly kept to themselves when they weren't spending time with Syaoran, so Tiki hadn't really gotten to know them that well. But she knew that the picture was incomplete without Syaoran's father. So where was he, and why were his whereabouts being kept quiet?

Syaoran noticed her change in topic, but nonetheless went with it. If Tiki didn't want to talk about it, that's okay. He knew that as soon as things got rough tomorrow he'd be there for her, so that was enough. Tiki would get out what she needed to get out; the Avatar could always count on that. In a way, he felt bad for Shun. He drew the short straw in the communication department; ZanYi never talked to anyone about anything.

"No," Syaoran sighed, "she hasn't." And it was rather annoying. Every time he tried to bring it up with his mother, she shut him down in some fashion, or distracted him with another topic. Shima was like ZanYi in that regard sometimes. "I'm almost starting to think I don't want to know, because clearly she's not telling me for a reason."

Which was upsetting, to say the least. He loved his mother and his sister, but it was his father that he was closest, that he actually could understand. And he was the one missing from the picture.

"My dad was sick when I escaped. Really sick," Syaoran decided to divulge, petting Bumi then. "Apparently his health hadn't been great anyway, but he hid it well enough that we didn't know until he got worse when we were sent to the camps."

Tiki peered up at Syaoran, worry evident in her stormy gaze. "Then, he might be…" Tiki stopped herself before she could finish the thought. She would not speak such an ill notion, for fear of jinxing it. Surely Syaoran's mother would have told him by now if his father was dead, wouldn't she? There really was no sense in keeping the truth from her son for very long.

Turning to fully face the Avatar, Tiki asked a new question. "What about your mother and sister? Are you okay with just leaving them behind? I can understand not wanting to drag them to the South Pole," Tiki shivered just thinking about it, "but is it all right for you to leave them behind after finding them again, after all this time?" Tiki was not judging Syaoran by any means—she just wanted to know if he would be okay with leaving his family in the care of the Resistance. Granted, there would be no safer place for Shima and Sora, but wasn't he a little anxious about being apart from them again? One never really knew how much time they had with their family, after all...

However, his answer was immediate.

"Yes."

Syaoran didn't have to think about whether this was the best decision. He'd already been thinking about it, and it was the only answer he ever came up with. "I'm going to miss them," he admitted, looking only at Bumi as he stroked his fur, "and it might be hard to leave. But nothing will be as hard as it was to leave them in the camps."

During the beginning of his Avatar training, he'd had to push it as far away as he could, just to focus. ZanYi had even exploited that love for his family to force him into catching flame. As time went by, thankfully he'd been busy enough to not have time to think about them, how much they were probably going through already, then how much worse it probably got after he'd left…

"But I know they're safe this time, mostly," he continued, "and I know I have to do this. I want to be there for them. I want to keep them safe myself. But as long as there is war, they won't be safe. So I had to leave them the first time, and I have to leave them again. Because if I want them safe in the long run, I have to do my part to end this."

That's all there was to it. Syaoran would have to put them aside again, because he had to think about the long-term effects. If he didn't stand up as Avatar and put his all into the war, then they would never be safe, no matter what he did for them personally. He wanted them to be safe and be free. There was only one way to make that feeling permanent, so Syaoran was leaving to do it.

Though Syaoran did not show it, he had a lot of weight—the weight of the world, in fact—resting on those two broadening shoulders of his. This was one of the rare glimpses Tiki received into his personal struggle. He had to leave his own family behind in order to be the hero the world needed him to be, regardless of his own feelings. The fact that he was ready to do what it took to become the Avatar had Tiki sliding her arms around his waist and hugging him, the side of her head pressed against his chest. The steady beating there of his heart always reassured her, no matter how many times she heard it.

"I know you don't hear it often, but thank you, Syaoran," Tiki said, "Thank you for doing all that you do. Thank you for being there when it counts. Thank you for being the Avatar. And thank you, most of all, for being you."

Tiki knew that being the Avatar was both a gift and a curse. While Syaoran was blessed with the power to do great things, he was also burdened with a target on his back, and targets on the heads of those he held dear. Not everyone appreciated that he existed as the Avatar, so Tiki thought he should know that he had at least one supporter who was grateful for who he was, both as the Avatar and as Syaoran.

Syaoran looked at the little airbender hugging him and he had to resist the urge to look away in embarrassment. She was right of course: he didn't hear gratitude very often. It wasn't like he sought it normally though either. As long as he did what he had to do, that was enough. But to be appreciated like this, was kind of nice—then again, it was Tiki. Tiki was always in his corner, rooting for him. Tiki was the one who always had faith in him, especially when he didn't. And it was still Tiki that never gave up on him. Syaoran couldn't lose that, even if it constantly mortified him in how she expressed it sometimes.

"Look at you, trying to be all cool," he joked instead, ruffling her hair. But, in a rare action for the Avatar, he wrapped his arms around the airbender, reciprocating the hug. "But thanks, Tiki. You helped me get my rear in gear, so the thanks goes to you too. We're a team. All of you guys have pushed me in a lot of ways, which I'm sure you guys will keep doing." There was a bit of regret and dread with that remark, but Syaoran pressed on. "But the most thanks goes to you, Tiki. Thanks for just… being Tiki."

He couldn't put it eloquently, but then again, when had he ever claimed to be eloquent. That was as good as he could put it.

Tiki's face flushed. She hadn't expected the compliment in return… but she would take what she could get. Grinning toothily up at the Avatar, she said, "I'll remember this moment when you complain about something I say or do in the future, you know. And then you'll be sorry."

This was nice, the lighthearted teasing between them. And though Tiki found herself wanting more day in and day out, she stubbornly refused to get greedy. Syaoran was her friend, and she was fine with him remaining that way. Too much in her life had changed; she didn't need anything else complicating her life right now.

Syaoran scoffed. Of course this was going to bite him in the butt later. Tiki was not going to just let this go, much to his dismay. This is why he didn't say stuff like this often either; it always came back at him somehow. But, he supposed, if it was Tiki throwing it back at him, it couldn't be too unpleasant, right? "I'm sure I will be sorry," is what the Avatar said, despite his thoughts. "I'll just have to knock it out of you somehow. I'll figure out a way." He smirked a little at that.

Detaching from her, he gave Bumi another pat before starting to walk away. "Now hurry up! We better get back in case they throw some more last minute details at us. You know we're always last to know."

"I sense bitterness," she teased, giving Bumi one last hug before trotting after the Avatar. "But you're right: if we don't ask now, chances are we won't know until too late."

Tiki had faith in the senior members of Team Avatar, to be sure. But she, like Syaoran, just wished that they left their own little world to tell her and Syaoran some things. It was a team, after all—not two shepherds leading blind sheep. Syaoran and Tiki could handle themselves; they had proven it time and time again.

This team had already changed in all the wrong ways and was just getting back to its usual routine. Maybe it was time for some good changes too.

* * *

This was it. He was going to do it this time. He wasn't going to avoid it. He was going to get the answers he wanted.

"Syaoran, are you just going to stare at the door all night or are you going to go in?"

The Avatar sighed heavily then, as if all of his determination had just seeped out of him with a few words. "I'm going in, Mom," he replied, glancing to the side of him as she came down the hall. Her brown hair was wet from a shower, but already pulled back in a sharp bun, giving the look she was sending him a severe appearance. Typical Shima. Typical Mother Wong.

Turning away from his mother's stare, Syaoran opened the door in front of him to enter his family's quarters. This room was bigger than any of the others he had seen on base, though he could be thanked for that. Nothing a little earthbending couldn't solve when all the rooms were underground.

Two beds, cleanly made. Two dressers, both essentially empty. His mother and sister were like he was when he first escaped: living off of hand-me-downs from the military. After all, it wasn't as if the concentration camps allowed for their wardrobes to come with them.

Sora was doodling on her bed, and as soon as Syaoran walked in, her eyes lit up. "Hey, Mr. Avatar! Help me out! I can't get this sky-bison to look right!" the girl ordered, and immediately Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"Just because I'm the Avatar doesn't mean I'm supposed to help you make your drawings look good."

"No," his mother agreed with him, closing the door behind them both, "you're going to do that because you're her brother."

Meaning: go help his sister. Now.

Syaoran huffed but went over to sit on his sister's bed, pulling the pad of paper onto his lap. One pep talk from Tiki and he felt like he was on top of the world. Five minutes with his mother and sister, and it was back to being the low-man on the totem pole.

"So," the earthbender started, grateful in a way that he could focus his gaze on the paper instead of the faces of his kin, "Team Avatar leaves first thing in the morning."

"And we're going with you, right?" Sora prompted, crossing her arms already daring him to correct her. Which, actually, he did with ease.

"No, you're not," Syaoran shook his head, thinking about Bumi mildly as he tried to fix his sister's drawing. She really was terrible at drawing animals. "You two are going to stay in the protection of the Resistance. Soon they'll get you guys off base and somewhere else protected, but don't worry. These soldiers know what they're doing. They'll protect you guys."

He heard his mother harrumph at that. "Then why aren't they going with you? Are you even going to tell us where you're going, Syaoran?" Shima demanded, and even without looking, Syaoran knew she was giving him a scathing look, the kind she used to bully him into answers. Again: glad to be preoccupied now.

"The general knows where we're going, and the team works better as four. No more, no less," Syaoran told her again, drawing up the bison's horns. "Trust me: the less you guys know, the better."

Because people that knew fell into danger. Like how they were originally dragged into this by association with him. Like how ZanYi was tortured covering for him. The more people knew, the more danger they had to live with. Syaoran was trying to minimize that for them.

After a moment of thought, Syaoran stopped his pencil and looked up at his frowning mother, mimicking the expression. "But Mom… I need to know more. So just tell me already: what happened to Dad?"

Silence. It fell upon the room like a hammer. Sora began to shift uncomfortably beside him, and it was like his mother was plunged in ice with how still she became. This happened most times he asked, and then Shima would just deflect his question. Not this time. Syaoran had to know.

"Look, if he's dead, just tell me already!" he yelled, uncomfortable and desperate. "But you can't just avoid telling me forever!"

"We don't know."

Syaoran turned to his little sister then, and Sora, for once, had a look on her face that made her seem so small, so sad. "After you left, they kept questioning us at the camps, trying to figure out where you might have gone. Dad tried to break us all out of there."

"But he's sick!" the Avatar protested, as if he was trying to stop his father from doing it at that exact moment.

"Syaoran," Shima cut in, her voice quieter than normal, yet as serious as ever, "your father didn't care. You know that. He just wanted to make sure the rest of us got out okay."

Syaoran persisted, "So what happened?"

"We broke out," Shima answered, brown eyes tightening further, "but Sora and I were caught hiding while your father had gone to scout for food. As far as we know, the NEs didn't catch him, but…"

"But you don't know," Syaoran repeated, slumping back against the wall the bed rest against. Feeling his blood pressure rising in stress, he could hear Tiki in the back of his head telling him to just breathe. Breathe in. Breathe out. The Avatar took deep breaths. If his father wasn't caught, and there was still no word, Syaoran had to believe that he was still alive somewhere.

Syaoran hung his head, rubbing the back of it in shame and helplessness. "I'm sorry, guys… Everything you guys went through was because of me, and I couldn't help you," he grumbled, irritated with himself despite his deep cleansing breaths. "I'm the Avatar and I couldn't even help my family…"

"Syaoran Wong."

His mother's words were clipped and sharp, just as they always were before a scolding. It tore his gaze from the floor to Shima, who had stepped closer to him. At first, Syaoran thought he was in for it now, a big reprimand for how he had failed them. But instead, in a rare moment, she leaned down and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight against her shoulder.

"Syaoran, none of this is your fault," Shima continued, quiet. "It is a parent's responsibility to protect their children, and we had already messed that up when we were taken to the camps."

"Mom! No!"

"I'm not done, Syaoran," she cut him off sharply. He wisely shut up. Clearing her throat, Shima went on, "You are the Avatar now. You have a lot of responsibility to the world. But we are your family, and we are here to take care of you, just like your friends are. I don't know where your father is, but I'm certain that wherever he is, he's trying to find a way to help you. We love you, Syaoran."

In his mother's arms like this, the struggling Avatar felt like a small child again coming in from a long day in the fields. As much as it seemed as if he was belittled by his mother and sister, one thing was always certain: his family would stand by him. Which made his job all that much more important.

"Hey!"

Syaoran and Shima looked over to Sora then, who seemed to be staring in outrage at something. With a pout on her face, she proclaimed, "That sky-bison looks so much better than the rest of my drawing! Now you have to fix everything!"

Syaoran rolled his eyes and smirked a little. "Yeah, it looks like I'm going to have to."

And he was going to do it. One way or another, Syaoran Wong was going to fix everything. That was a promise.

* * *

**A/N from DJ: Woot! On the road again, we go! xD Also, sorry so late again. We're doing it weekly! Just trying to figure out a new time to edit these, since now my weekends are crazier than my weeks xD Now, to the acknowledgements!**

**ANewbutOldGuest: Yeah, we know how fandoms roll xD And our short-term works for us, but it's kind of vague for the masses. Still, we were just flattered that you guys even considered coming together like a fandom. Just the thought alone makes our hearts soar :3 Water is full of changes and surprises, as you guys have guessed and seen, so good luck surfing the waves~ [I'm so punny xD]**

**Jazzyboy: Thanks so much for the Author Alert and Alert for Water! We hope this means you like our stuff and can't wait to read more! Hopefully we'll get to hear from you sometime!**

**HalfaLeader: Haha again, a lot is gonna happen to these characters! You've been warned! We like to dabble with serious topics and we like to treat them with the consideration they deserve, even if it's made the beginning of Water quite sad xD**

**Daydreamer1998: Thanks so much for the favorite on Fire~! I hope you get to make it here to Water and continue to enjoy!**

**Japaneserockergirl: You did it! You caught up! Congratulations! xD You're one of our longtime readers too! And Zaron did mention that he was going to have to retrain Xie Xie after the sparring match, so I guess it was all in good timing... or plotting :3**

**That's all for this week guys! Where will the team go next? Find out next week! See y'all!**


	6. The Club

**Avatar: The Warring Earth**

**Book Three—Water**

**By Twins of the Pen**

**Disclaimer: Avatar in itself belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryan Konietzko/Michael DiMartino. The only things that belong to Twins of the Pen are the original characters.**

* * *

Tiki yawned, this hour being too early for even her. True to her prediction, ZanYi had woken them up about an hour before dawn to take flight, their destination: Republic City. Tiki was dreading the trip, but it was a full day of flight, so night would fall before they entered the city, giving them excellent cover. Tiki just hoped that nothing would go wrong this time around.

"Wake up, Teeks. We need you to drive," Shun urged the tiny airbender, pacing back and forth as he looked down at a notebook he held, a pen in between his teeth. Tiki blinked rapidly, forcing herself into alertness. How she wished she had time to meditate—or even eat breakfast—before they left.

"What are you writing?"

"A shopping list," Shun replied, glancing up at Tiki before taking the pen and writing another item down. "I want to make sure we're thorough enough that we won't have to make a second trip, but that we buy only what we need."

"Sounds like a plan, but how are we going to—?" In the middle of her question, Tiki remembered the mysteriously large amount of cash that Shun had stashed in his satchel. It made her suspicious, but the last time she tried asking about it, Shun had made a scary face. The tiny airbender was guessing it was a tender topic. Abandoning her conversation with Shun altogether, Tiki turned around, making sure she didn't lose her balance from Bumi's neck. "Are we about ready to go back there?" she called back.

Syaoran snapped his head back up at the sound, looking around with a panicked awareness. It was hard to keep awake—this was even earlier than the days that Tiki would make him get up for meditation. Oh, what he wouldn't give for Tiki to have been wrong about what time they were leaving. "Yeah," the Avatar yawned, looking around the riding basket to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be. Each of their small bags was packed up neatly, four bags in total. It was all they had, but it was enough, since Shun planned on going shopping for supplies. "We're good to go…"

"You better be," came the lieutenant's voice from below. ZanYi was awake and alert, almost like she'd been up for hours already. The paperwork had been done so that General Chen knew of their current plans and shifted all of her and Zaron's belongings out of the quarters to be put in storage lockers until a point in time she could return for them. Walking over to Shun as he poured over his list, ZanYi crossed her arms, weighing him a questioning look. "You ready to go? You can keep writing that list when we hit the skies," she told him. The was a squawk of agreement in her ear, and ZanYi smirked a little, reaching up to stroke Xie Xie on her shoulder.

Shun eyed the bird, still a little wary of it—it had pecked him to near death the last time ZanYi had a nightmare. In the end, Shun supposed he was grateful: ZanYi hadn't made a sound, so without Xie Xie, he wouldn't have known otherwise. On the other hand, if Shun weren't a healer, he still would have the scratches from the vicious dragonhawk's talons. He wasn't surprised that ZanYi had decided to keep the bird with her… it was just going to be a bit… straining for the giant waterbender. Xie Xie was much nicer to him now, but the bird still creeped him out.

"Yeah, let's go," he agreed, tucking the pen away into the notebook and stashing the notebook into a back pocket, for the moment. Striding over to the sky bison, Shun climbed in first, the feat made easy because he was tall, and because Bumi was still resting on the ground. Turning, Shun reached down for ZanYi's hand. "Need a lift?" he joked. This always went either one of two ways: ZanYi clambered into the basket herself, or she allowed Shun to help her. The former tended to happen more often than the latter, but even so, Shun made it a point to offer help to the lieutenant.

With a look at Xie Xie and an upward shove of her shoulder, the dragonhawk took flight above her, allowing ZanYi to reach up to take Shun's hand. However, she only used it to help her grab the basket and pull herself up. Once she was settled in the basket, Xie Xie swooped down to circle around her and Shun before going up in front of Tiki and Bumi, eager to take flight. The lieutenant wasn't surprised; as well-trained as the dragonhawk, the sky was where it yearned to be. "We're ready to go now," ZanYi announced, sure that everything was prepared as it should.

Syaoran stifled another yawn, but nonetheless looked forward to Tiki with tired eyes. "You heard her. Let's go, Tiki," he urged the airbender. The Avatar just hoped she was more awake than he was, otherwise they were going to crash.

Tiki sighed. As much as she did not want to make this trip, she kept telling herself that it was necessary, and to suck it up. "Bumi: yip yip!" she shouted.

With a roar that shook the surrounding trees, the sky bison pushed off from the ground, soaring into the sky alongside Xie Xie. Tiki took a huge lungful of fresh air, the crispness of dawn serving as caffeine for her tired body. It was invigorating to fly through the skies; the tiny airbender made a mental note to do so sometime with her glider. Bumi was nice, but it just wasn't the same feeling as being able to fly under her own power. "We should arrive in Rebublic City after dark," she called back to the rest of Team Avatar.

"That's fine," Shun replied, pouring over his shopping list once again. "Although, depending on how late we get there, we may need to stay the night and get up early—there's a lot we need to get before we set off."

"In and out, Shun," Tiki reminded the giant waterbender, throwing him an anxious glance. "You promised."

"Of course," Shun affirmed with a nod. But then, he could not determine how long they had to stay accurately: there were quite a few things they needed to buy in order to survive in the wilderness of the South Pole. How long they had to stay in Republic City was directly proportionate to when they got there, and how long it would take for them to buy everything they needed. Otherwise, Shun wasn't planning to stay any longer than they had to.

* * *

Tiki's estimated time of arrival came true once again… just a little later than she had anticipated. It had taken them longer to sneak into the city this time around—security had increased ten-fold since the last time they were there, and it was a nightmare to wait for the right distraction to come along for them to sneak in. And by the time they had hidden themselves in an alleyway, Shun noticed that most of the shops they needed to visit were closed for the night. So it was with a grudging allowance that Tiki agreed to get another hotel room to stay in for the night. This time, Shun got two hotel rooms for them—one for the guys and one for the girls, he explained—to stay in for the night. He promised they would get up early and get their shopping done first thing in the morning, and ZanYi was going to hold him to that.

The tiny airbender gazed out the window of her and ZanYi's hotel room, keeping the curtain carefully between her and the window. The city hadn't changed much in the past few months—her face was still everywhere, and benders were still being treated like scum. The only change was the broadcasts: her parents now deceased, their message to the bending community to surrender to the Neo-Equalists no longer played. Tiki had, however, received a shock when Kei Ryuunosuke's face appeared on the giant screens, promoting his stance on the war. Many citizens of the city got aggravated whenever this broadcast played, much to Tiki's amusement. She wondered how on earth the nonbender she had befriended managed to get broadcasting privileges with such frowned-upon views, but simply surmised that he must have found a way, probably of a monetary persuasion.

Tearing her gaze away from the flat screens, Tiki looked down at the building across the street from their hotel. It was flashing with neon lights and spotlights, the word 'Heat' emblazoned across the top of the building. There was a long line of people waiting to get in, and music was pumping from the place. A night club… interesting…

"Okay," Shun was saying from across the room; he and Syaoran's room was just across the hall from theirs, and they had come to visit and plan their next move,"I can run out tonight and try to get what we need to minimize our shopping for tomorrow, hopefully some stores are still open. If not, I'll take note of what shops open when so we can pop by as early as possible to—"

"Does anyone else want to do something fun?" Tiki interrupted Shun, turning away from the window to gaze at the rest of the group. Shun gave her a funny look.

"I'm sorry if I'm boring you, Teeks, but we really have to—"

"You're not boring me," Tiki corrected him, cutting across him once again. "I just thought it would be nice to have a little fun for a change."

Shun raised his eyebrows at the tiny airbender. "…Okay, I'll bite," he offered with a shrug, "what do you want to do, Teeks?"

"I want to go to a dance club," Tiki said immediately, her gray eyes already sparkling with excitement. "There's one right across the street from here."

"…A dance club," Shun repeated, monotone.

"Yup," Tiki replied enthusiastically.

"Tiki, you do remember where we are, right? You do realize that there's a bounty on your head in this city?"

"Which is why I think we need to go somewhere to loosen up. Come on, it'll be fun! What could it hurt?"

It could hurt a lot of things, in Shun's opinion. He just didn't have the heart to tell Tiki so. However, someone else in the room easily did.

"No."

Of course the immediate negative answer came from ZanYi, leaning against the wall as they tried to figure out what their next plans were from here. It was bad enough that they had to stay overnight in the city again; the lieutenant didn't want anything else that could mess them up. This would certainly be one of them.

Syaoran, however, knew exactly why the idea appealed to Tiki: the girl was quite the little dancer herself. And considering she had been good enough to get them there and push herself through the motions of getting back into Republic City, it was only natural that she would want to do something to take her mind off of the bad. After all, this was the place where she'd seen her parents brutally murdered just a few short months ago. Maybe it was all of that combined that made Syaoran do what he did next, albeit reluctantly. "I don't know. I mean, it could be fun, guys, right?" he suggested to Shun and ZanYi. The Avatar was going to try and stick up for Tiki on this one; she deserved a little bit of fun for being a team player, as far as he was concerned.

But ZanYi just frowned at him then. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe 'fun' was on the agenda," she snipped at him. "It's just a bad idea. We need to stay inside, lay low until we get the shopping done, and then get out of here before anyone realizes we were even here."

"It's not like anyone is going to recognize us in there," Syaoran tried to debate with the lieutenant, who did not seem to appreciate the Avatar doing. "And it'll be just for a little bit. We're all tense and we've been sitting all day. Might as well get out for a bit while we can."

But again, ZanYi asserted, "No."

Tiki had expected the lieutenant to shut her down, but the tiny airbender still had one tactic up her sleeve: insubordination.

"It's fine if you don't want to go, ZanYi," she said with a nonchalant shrug, surprising Shun enough for his mouth to come open with a pop. This she ignored, keeping her eyes steady on the lieutenant. "I just thought I'd offer, since it's generally frowned upon when I disappear without telling anyone where I'm going."

Shun frowned. He did not like where this conversation was going…

"You're making it sound like you plan to—"

"Oh, I'm still going," she affirmed, unfortunately confirming Shun's suspicions. "I'm twenty years old, therefore I'm legally capable of taking care of myself." Fearlessly meeting ZanYi's gold with her grey, Tiki continued, "and it's not like ZanYi's my mother or anything, so she really can't boss me around."

Warning alarms were going off in Shun's head: if this wasn't taken care of soon, he was certain that a fight was going to break out. "Tiki, come on," he tried to talk down the tiny airbender, "we need to stick together. If you go somewhere strange by yourself, how are we supposed to help you?"

"I guess someone's going to have to come along after all, then," Tiki said loftily, flipping her hair back behind her shoulder. "Either way, I'm going."

Shun recognized the stubborn look Tiki wore and heaved a sigh. There was no way she was going to be talked out of this one. Which spelled trouble for them, of course: he could practically feel the rage ZanYi was about to spew for Tiki's defiance. And Syaoran could see the rage on the lieutenant's face. This was not going to be good. The Avatar stood stock-still, unsure whether to inch closer to Tiki in case ZanYi exploded or whether to get the heck out of the way in case ZanYi exploded.

ZanYi gave Tiki an incredibly dark look, and fire played at her fingertips—she couldn't even stop that. It was a struggle to make the blue flames die back down to gold. She knew this was not the time or place to have one of her recent fits of anger, like she had in private as of late. But Tiki was beyond pushing the envelope this time. "If you have to state your age and assert legalities to get what you want, then clearly you are not mature enough to know what's best for you," the lieutenant rebuked between grit teeth, doing her best to keep things under control. "Only a _child_ resorts to such actions in order to get their way."

Syaoran looked warily from the lieutenant to Tiki, anxiety at the situation rising. "You really didn't help our case for them treating us like kids," he muttered to the airbender. But with another look at ZanYi, he could tell things might just get ugly in a minute. There was a reason that he always tried not to set off the lieutenant if he could help it: things went to crap if someone did.

"Okay, okay," the Avatar tried to diffuse the situation, his hands held up in a motion of surrender as he moved between the two females. "How about we take a vote? Democracy? We're a team, so everyone should have a say. And clearly we know where Tiki and ZanYi's votes lie, so…" Syaoran turned to Shun, hoping the waterbender would step up and help him out here. "Shun, what do you think?"

Shun, however, gave the Avatar a doubtful look. "I think it'll be a stalemate anyway," he said honestly, his gaze bouncing back and forth between the two women of the group. Shun knew who he was going to side with, mostly because it was important that they lay low, but partially because he did not want to risk ZanYi's doghouse over something like this. And the giant waterbender suspected that Syaoran would side with Tiki to make the tiny airbender happy. Either way Shun sliced and diced it, it was going to be an impasse.

Tiki recognized this fact as well, and she shook her head. "Vote all you want, I don't care," she commented, actually heading for the door. "I'm still going to go."

"Tiki," Shun called after her, his voice stern. The tiny airbender paused, turning to give Shun a look he had never seen aimed at him from her: disappointment. And it wasn't the standard "You-Guys-Are-No-Fun" disappointment Tiki usually displayed. It was a look that suggested that Shun should know better than to try and stop her.

"I don't care if you think I'm a child," Tiki said, the comment aimed toward ZanYi. "And I don't care that I might be putting myself at risk. For one night, I just want to be able to forget that my parents were murdered on the island of this city, and that there's a bounty on my head, and that I'm supposed to be the leader of my people, and that we're at war with the rest of the world. _For once_, I want to be able to feel like I can laugh without feeling like I'm going to cry the next minute, and I want to feel like I can dance the night away without a care in the world. I want to have _fun._ I want to prove to myself that I'm not just going through the motions, but that I'm actually alive instead of just existing. So you can say or do whatever you want, because I'm not waiting for you 'adults' to decide what I can and can't do. If I can have an entire race's future in my hands, I _can_ go to a dance club. And I _will._"

Not even pausing for her speech to sink in, the tiny airbender pulled the door open and made to leave the room.

"Wait!"

Tiki paused one last time, looking back at Shun, who had gotten to his feet. He seemed to be at war with himself, weighing the pros and cons of what would happen, and what might happen. Finally, the giant waterbender let out a core-deep sigh. "…Fine," he decided, frowning at the tiny airbender. "But _only_ because I don't want you out there alone." Shun folded his arms, scrutinizing Tiki. "…And because I suspect you'll just sneak out the window as soon as ZanYi's asleep," he added.

Tiki smirked, affirming in Shun's mind that the window was definitely her second plan of action.

ZanYi was near the point of boiling over, and it was getting much, much harder to control herself. It didn't matter what Tiki said: her speech meant nothing to the lieutenant. If anything, it only fueled her fire. At the moment, dealing with Team Avatar felt like a punishment from General Chen. They were unruly, undisciplined, and insubordinate. For a woman like the lieutenant, this was more than a migraine to deal with.

Syaoran could tell that the woman looked like she was at the end of her rope, but there was nothing the lieutenant could do. They were going to the club, apparently. Hopefully this would all be worth it to Tiki, because it would certainly incur ZanYi's wrath on all of them later. Especially if anything went wrong, as was likely to happen, given their luck.

"Well, that settles it then," he finalized hesitantly, doing his utmost best to avoid looking at ZanYi as he spoke to the group. "We're going to the club, I guess." Walking over to close the door that Tiki had opened, Syaoran stood there, unyielding yet to just let them go. "So, what's the plan then?" he asked.

"First we need clothes," Tiki decided, seizing upon the opportunity. Now that Shun had conceded, and she had Syaoran on her side, there was no way she was going to let ZanYi throw her weight around to force her to stay in the hotel. As she eyed the attire of the men before her, Tiki continued, "Because, no offense, but you guys would probably be arrested by the fashion police for daring to step into a club dressed like that."

Shun looked down at his attire—a dark t-shirt and jeans with the biker boots he always wore. What was wrong with the way he was dressed? Sure, it probably wasn't considered 'trendy' by any means, but it was a little difficult for him to find 'trendy' clothes that fit him. Tiki, of all people, should understand that.

"I propose we head back to _Duds_ from last time," Tiki proclaimed. "It had a lot of cool outfits in there—!"

"It's probably closed by now," Shun pointed out with a frown. And he did not like the idea of breaking into and stealing from the same store twice. Tiki seemed oblivious to his reservations, however.

"Uh, hello, Locksmith over here?" she reminded him, gesturing to herself. "That shop had no cameras—which is kind of naive—but we can just get back in through the back door, grab some clothes, and leave some money on the counter. It's not stealing if we leave money, right?"

"No, but it is suspicious for a random pile of money to be left on the counter," Shun noted, his frown deepening. Tiki waved his concern away.

"Whatever, they should be happy that we're paying this time… We are going to pay, right?"

Shun sighed. "I suppose, since I'm the only one who has cash and I'm not comfortable with stealing…"

"Okay, that's settled," Tiki determined. She was ready to set off again, but Shun had another query to hold her up.

"Hang on. I'm not sure, since I've never been to a club before, but they sell alcohol right? Don't we need ID to get in?"

Tiki was already two steps ahead of the giant waterbender. "Here," she said, shoving a plastic card at him. "Apparently Kei's been using his influence to get the Resistance fake IDs when they need them. General Chen gave these to me yesterday."

Shun stared down at the card in surprise: it was his face, along with his actual height and age, but his name was different. He glanced up at Tiki, a little dumbstruck. "How did Kei get a hold of these?"

"I don't know, and I'd rather not find out," Tiki replied, handing Syaoran his before strolling over to ZanYi. The lieutenant did not look particularly happy, but nonetheless, Tiki held out the fake ID that was meant for her. "Kei had yours altered a little so that your eyes look brown and your dark hair is a little lighter," Tiki explained to ZanYi, "and he changed your name, of course. He was able to change the appearance on my ID and assured me that no one would be able to tell that they were fake. So if you want it, it's yours."

ZanYi did not want it. She didn't even like this plan. All of this trouble and risk, just so the airbender could have a night out of fun? It sounded ridiculous, selfish, and immature. And the worst part of all? She'd managed to get everyone else to go along with it. ZanYi wanted to dig in her heels, but there was no way she felt comfortable with all of them going out without her. She wouldn't be doing her job.

Which is why, though while scowling, the lieutenant took the ID from Tiki. She eyed it and turned it between her fingers, examining it. Kei really had gotten some pretty good fakes; after all of the trouble he caused them, at least he could do this for the Resistance. It just also seemed that it was still causing trouble for her personally. ZanYi briefly pondered over why she hadn't killed him when she had a chance.

"Fine," she said at last, fixing all of them with a dark look. "We'll go. But as soon as there's even a whiff of trouble—related to you all or otherwise—we're gone."

"Agreed," Syaoran said easily. He wanted Tiki to be able to enjoy herself, but at no further expense than she was already pushing them. The Avatar would prefer them alive to fight another day than die tonight. With only a cursory look at the ID that Tiki gave him, he pocketed it. "So, we heading out now?"

ZanYi growled under her breath, knowing they were. Pocketing the ID—not that she would probably need it, in all actuality—the lieutenant stood up from leaning against the wall. Hands on her hips, she jerked her head to the door and then started for it. "All right. Let's get this over with."

Tiki resisted the urge to pump her fist in the air; she would probably not be doing this again, because it seemed bad for her health, but she would relish this little victory for the rest of her life. As she followed after ZanYi, Shun glanced over her shoulder, wanting to see just how Tiki's picture was altered. Her eyes were blue rather than gray, and her hair had a darker tint to it. Shun could only hope that the lights would be dim enough for them to avoid scrutiny when it came time for the bouncers to check IDs. A little detail on Tiki's ID, once Shun noticed it, held his attention though.

"Tiki… why is your last name 'Ryuunosuke' on your ID?"

Tiki hurriedly stowed the ID away into a pocket, her face turning pink. "I don't know, maybe Kei wanted to make sure I didn't have any trouble with anyone. The Ryuunosuke name carries a lot of weight, you know." But by the way Tiki was steadfastly not looking at Shun, the giant waterbender felt it was safe to assume that Tiki assumed, just as he did, that Kei had an ulterior motive when deciding Tiki's fake last name.

Overhearing the exchange, Syaoran stopped in his tracks. "What?" he uttered, looking between Shun and Tiki. The latter's rosy face betrayed her, and he knew he had heard right. Great. Even after he was gone, Kei was messing with her. It was annoying. Syaoran felt a bit prickly in response. "Yeah, yeah, let's get going," he grumbled, wrapping an arm around Tiki to put her in a loose headlock to lead her out of the hotel room. There was no way Tiki was going to be a Ryuunosuke. Not on his watch. Kei wasn't going to go anywhere near the airbender as long as he was around. Sure, the nonbender may have saved his family—which made him tolerable—but when it came to how he acted around Tiki, Syaoran was never going to like him.

Other than a slight smirk, Shun hid his amusement at the pair. Although Syaoran was displaying jealous tendencies, he did not seem to realize it. His extreme dislike of Kei made it all the more obvious. And Tiki, though her blush deepened at the arm around her, seemed content to not point this out. The signs were all there… but, if Syaoran and Tiki were happy in their ignorance, Shun would not be the one to break that sphere of happiness. If they decided they wanted things to change between them, Syaoran and Tiki would have to work towards that goal on their own.

* * *

Shun was almost wishing that he had not given in to Tiki after all. As soon as they reached the alley next to _Duds_, Tiki had jimmied the back door open and dragged him in with her, deciding that he 'needed help' dressing himself while ZanYi and Syaoran kept watch in the alleyway. A few agonizing minutes and several wardrobe changes later, Shun was permitted to leave the store, a little disgruntled with the tiny airbender.

She had not picked anything outlandish, thank goodness, but Shun still felt odd: she had shoved a gray v-neck shirt on him that showed off more of his chest than he would have liked, though she did allow him to pull on a black leather jacket he had found by chance over the shirt. A thick chain hung around his neck, compensating for the empty space left behind by ZanYi's dogtags, which were tucked safely away in his satchel. Tiki had also made him swap his perfectly good jeans for a pair that was tighter than he was used to with rips on the thighs and knees—because that was apparently 'in'. She could not, however, find shoes for him, so the giant waterbender was relieved to say that he could keep his biker boots. Tiki insisted on changing his hair, however, and it was now in a half-up, half-down style, his hair brushing his shoulders while being in a ponytail at the same time… it was a strange feeling for Shun.

"…This is weird," the giant waterbender grumbled, a rare moment of complaint as he tugged at his new jeans.

"Oh stop it, you look great," Tiki chided him, emerging from the store a few minutes later with a new fashion of her own. Thankfully it was nothing as outlandish as the last time she had visited the store, but still attention worthy: she wore a long, white lace tunic that emphasized how slender she was while still managing to show off what little curves she had. She wore black leggings under the tunic as well as a black bordello jacket over it—the end of the jacket cut off just under her chest. There were strappy wedges on her feet, boosting her height, and she wore a pair of black fingerless gloves on her hands. Tiki had styled her hair so that it was in the shape of a bun, with the ends cascading out from the top and draping over and past the bun, giving it an exploding look. Her bangs were swept to the side but obscured her arrow perfectly, and Shun was surprised to find that Tiki looked a lot older with the dramatically dark eye make-up she had applied, contrasting with the bright blue eye contacts she had rustled up from somewhere. Overall, the tiny airbender looked great.

"Wow," was all Shun said, impressed. Tiki smiled in response.

"I would have worn something cuter… but I had to hide my arrows," she explained, a sigh of regret working its way into the conversation. Still, she was happy with the look she had achieved, and she turned to face Syaoran and ZanYi. "Your turn, you guys. I know you can dress yourself, ZanYi, but you might want to help Syaoran," the tiny airbender suggested. ZanYi and Syaoran gave each other a disparaging look. The former rolled her eyes and went straight on in to the store, ready to move this along as quickly as possible. The latter gave Tiki a look that told her he wasn't amused, knocking her head lightly before following after the lieutenant.

It was probably due in part that Tiki was not inside the store with them to make them stylish or wearing anything that was 'in' that the other two members got out a lot quicker.

First to step out was Syaoran, almost looking more comfortable than he had the entire time he'd known the group. Mildly ripped jeans and a short-sleeved green hoodie fit him quite nicely—not too tight, but fitting. It was a change from the varieties of hand-me-down clothes the Avatar had been using for the past couple months since he escaped the camps.

One more look at Shun and Syaoran clapped a brief hand on his shoulder, wincing. "Sorry, Shun," he apologized, knowing he was the lucky one of the two of them. ZanYi was not going to play stylist like Tiki had.

Speaking of the lieutenant, she followed soon after him. She'd known before even going in that dresses, skirts, and heels were not an option this time around. No way was ZanYi risking that one again. So what did she wear?

Well, her black jeans hugged her long legs, down to the boots that started to cover them around her shins. There was a mild heel to them, but it wasn't enough that it would hinder the lieutenant. But that's not to say she was going modest this time around. Her tubetop was black, a tribal fire design spiraling in the corner. It showed off her midriff and bare shoulders, the scar from her childhood more apparent now. But part of those shoulders was masked by her raven hair, longer than it had been in probably her entire life.

Syaoran had to keep from looking; despite giving up the lieutenant to Shun—and possibly liking Tiki—he couldn't deny that ZanYi knew how to dress to play her strengths when she wanted to. He also spotted a necklace falling down her front that he'd never seen on her before… but was certain he had seen before. It was too similar to Shun's necklace for it not to be his.

"Now, we ready to go or what?" ZanYi asked the group at large, surveying them with brown eyes that were not her own. Syaoran nodded before looking over to Tiki, to double check with her. Then he caught his gaze lingering. Tiki looked her own age for once. And she looked good doing it…

No! Focus!

"We ready to go, Tiki?" he asked her, forcing back his hesitation and blush.

Tiki contemplated the Avatar for a moment, a finger to her lips as her gaze swept him from head to toe. It wasn't what Tiki would have picked for him, but she had to admit that Syaoran looked good; he had that boy-next-door charm going for him. Smirking a bit, the tiny airbender stepped closer, thinking Syaoran still needed a little something. She ran her hands through his hair a couple times, giving him that bedhead look that was so popular nowadays. Satisfied with her results, Tiki linked an arm with Syaoran.

"Let's go," she said at last, tugging him out of the alley to blend in with the nightlife of the city. Shun had dipped back inside briefly to leave some money on the counter for the sure-to-be baffled owner of the clothing store before he emerged once again, his eyes immediately going to ZanYi. He swore she was doing this on purpose—why else would she dress in such a fashion? Tonight was just a night of fun; she didn't have to seduce anyone for information. It was almost enough to make the giant waterbender ask her to go change… yeah, like she would have taken that very well.

Instead, Shun merely shrugged out of his new leather jacket and draped it over ZanYi's shoulders, giving her a complicated look before he jerked his head to the mouth of the alley, gesturing for her to follow as he walked after Tiki and Syaoran. As enticing as she looked, Shun did not want any other man to see her that way, the way he saw her. It was aggravating. But Shun would not make her wear the jacket all night… just until they got into the club. There would be men there too, yes, but it would be harder to stare at ZanYi if they were in a dark, contained space… at least, that was what Shun was trying to tell himself. The sole comfort he retained from ZanYi's attire is that she kept his necklace on, a display that she, on some level, was spoken for.

ZanYi gave him an equally complicated look back, unsure of what to make of Shun's jacket. She didn't remove it, and she did follow after him. It wasn't particularly cold, so out the window went her theory on his caring nature again. Perhaps it was just him being bashful again; the lieutenant wasn't blind to the reaction she'd gotten last time she'd worn civilian clothes. It shouldn't have been as bad this time though; the outfit was not as bad as last time, at least by her count.

It didn't take the group long to get to the nightclub, and it didn't take long to get through the line. The IDs worked just fine as well, much to Syaoran's relief. The bouncers hardly gave him, Tiki, and Shun's a second glance; ZanYi wasn't even required to produce one. Suddenly, the Avatar felt like he knew how she had got into the bar last time.

Inside the club, the music was loud, the lights were dim and flashing, and people were everywhere. It was a good thing that Tiki was still holding onto his arm. While he hadn't appreciated her towing him around at first, at least this way he wouldn't lose sight of her. Wedges or not, the airbender was still short, especially in such a massive crowd.

"Okay, now what?" Syaoran asked, peering from his teammates to the thriving and thumping scene around them.

Tiki actually rolled her eyes. Didn't these people know what the concept of 'fun' was?

"Now, we have fun!" she obliged to answer, grinning at Syaoran briefly before pulling him deeper into the crowd, onto the dance floor. "You do know how to dance, right? If not, you'll have to learn fast!" Releasing Syaoran from her grasp, Tiki stood still a moment, feeling the music through the vibrations from the floor. Little by little, she could feel her muscles loosening, the beat enticing her, her blood pumping, her soul wanting to be freed. So she let the melody carry her away, the rhythm flowing through her as she moved. This, in the tiny airbender's opinion, was bliss.

Syaoran, however, stood highly awkwardly in front of Tiki, unsure of what to do. Tiki could dance; that was a fact. Could he? No. Not really. "Hate to break it to you, Tiki, but they don't exactly let us listen to music or dance where I come from," he told her, trying to avoid saying 'concentration camps' in the midst of a crowd of nonbenders. But seriously, what was he supposed to do? He looked around him to see all of the bodies moving and swaying, some of them writhing and grinding, then back to Tiki, who seemed completely enveloped in what she was doing. It was definitely nice to see her starting to look a bit more free, a little less conflicted. Syaoran was going to take that as a positive.

That didn't mean he knew what he was doing though.

Tiki paused in her movements, sighing and giving the Avatar a pitying look. "All right… looks like I'm going to have to teach you a lot more than—well, you know," she speculated, cutting herself off before she said something damaging. Taking his hands, Tiki pulled him closer to her so that their bodies were almost touching.

"It's really easy," she promised him with an encouraging smile. "You don't have to do anything fancy, if you don't want to. Just feel the vibrations of the music through the floor and just… move." Tiki stepped from side to side, her body twisting to groove to the music. "See? You can do this all night, and it'll still count as dancing."

Syaoran frowned and mimicked her movements. Step left. Step right. Step left. Step right. "This cannot count as dancing," he groaned, giving Tiki an irritated look. He looked like an utter moron. Just why had he let Tiki drag him off? He could've just stayed on the sidelines with Shun and ZanYi…

On second thought, as embarrassing as this was, being with Tiki was the better option.

"Am I dancing now?" he asked, starting to bob his head an exaggerated fashion. The Avatar knew it wasn't, but hey! Her fault for taking him of all people out to dance with her.

Tiki couldn't help but giggle at him. He was so cute, even if he was making fun of her. "Not quite, but you're getting there," she tried to encourage, but said under her breath, "then again, some people have rhythm, and some people don't… you might be the latter."

The music died down a decibel, and the disk jockey up on the platform above all of them grabbed the microphone next to him. "Yo, party people! How're you feelin'?!"

An appreciative roar followed this greeting, one Tiki joined in enthusiastically. The disk jockey grinned, his reflective sunglasses gleaming in the multicolored lights. "I'm DJ JJ, and this is Club Heat! No matter what time it is, somethin' hot is ALWAYS goin' down! Just thought I'd let the newcomers know that I _do_ take requests, so ladies, don't be shy! DJ JJ is _always_ eager to please!"

A bunch of cat calls sounded at this, and DJ JJ turned the music back up, switching to a song with a faster tempo. Unable to help herself, Tiki used Syaoran's arm to spin herself around before jamming to the next song, leaving the Avatar to his own devices. It wasn't long before a guy danced up to her, grinning in a 'friendly' fashion. "You've got some hot moves, girl!" he complimented, keeping up with her effortlessly. "Want to go to a dark corner and get to know each other better?"

Tiki gave the guy an odd look. What did dark corners have to do with her moves? Sensing that this was probably one conversation she didn't want to get mixed up in, she began to edge away from the guy. "Oh… thanks, but no, I'm good."

"Aw, come on, don't be like that! I'm just trying to get to know you!"

"We can talk here," Tiki pointed out. The guy's grin grew.

"Nah. I was thinking somewhere more… intimate."

He was reaching for her. Tiki's first instinct was to airbend this guy into the ceiling, but a move like that would not only get her kicked out—it would get her hunted. And she didn't want to start a fight either, but this guy just wasn't taking the hint. How was she supposed to get rid of him?

But another hand reached out and stopped the offender's, holding it away from Tiki. "Seriously, man: back off," Syaoran warned the stranger. But before the dirty male could say anything else, Syaoran was turning Tiki by the shoulders and pushing her through the crowd to get away from the creep. All the while, he was shaking his head. How was it that Tiki was managing to get guys? The airbender was clueless, naive, too trusting. She also had the temper of a small child when she got mad. But then again, that guy didn't know any of that. All he knew was Tiki's dancing.

"Don't stray too far again," Syaoran warned her, turning her back to face him. "Guys in places like this aren't exactly wholesome a lot of the time."

Tiki let out a breath of relief. Thank goodness for Syaoran. "So I'm learning," she replied, shooting suspicious gazes all around her at the guys in the club. Suddenly feeling vulnerable, the tiny airbender scooted closer to Syaoran, glancing up at him with her gray eyes masquerading as blue. "Thank you, by the way," she said, sending a hesitant smile his way. "I know this isn't exactly your thing, but it means a lot that you agreed to come anyway." In fact, Tiki had been expecting the rest of Team Avatar to shut down her idea… it was a pleasant surprise that the Avatar stood up to _ZanYi_ on her behalf, and it made the tiny airbender's heart swell at such a thought.

Syaoran sighed and gave Tiki a resigned eye. "Well, you seemed like you needed it. I figured you could use it since you were being a good sport about all of this," he told her honestly with a hand on her head as he ruffled her hair a little. "Just don't make me go against ZanYi again. Doesn't matter who I am, I feel like she might kill me." The last thing he wanted was the world to lose their last hope because he was stupid enough to make an enemy of one of the Resistance's most dangerous soldiers. Remembering the look on ZanYi's face, he shuddered. Enough of that train of thought.

"C'mon, let's try this again," Syaoran urged Tiki, ready to move on. "I'm going to need as much time as you've got to get this right." Taking Tiki's hand, he spun her around, just like his father used to when Sora was younger. "Let's see what you've got."

Tiki grinned, allowing herself to twirl by Syaoran's guidance. She had to be mindful not to do that too much, lest her bangs fly up and her arrow be exposed. But for now, it was all right. It was dark, and the only person paying attention to her, as far as she knew, was Syaoran.

"Syaoran, if I showed you everything I had, you'd never be able to keep up," she told him with a smirk. But she decided to help him out a little more. Grasping his wrists, the tiny airbender guided Syaoran's hands to her hips, only blushing a little as her hands wandered up to his shoulders. She stepped from side to side, going at a slightly slower rhythm as the music. "But usually dancing is all in the leading. Just follow me and you'll be okay."

Syaoran blushed at the contact with Tiki's hips. She had hips! This was already bizarre to conceive, and now he was touching the proof. Wait. That thought came out weird…

"I don't know a lot, but isn't the guy usually supposed to lead in dance?" the Avatar asked, pushing away the awkward thoughts going through his mind. Growing a bit bolder, he started to move a little faster, keeping pace with the rhythm. His grasp also pulled her closer, chest to chest. It embarrassed him, certainly, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. "Kind of like this, right?" he double-checked, making sure he was taking point correctly.

Whoa there. Tiki's face warmed at the contact, her body pressing up against Syaoran's unexpectedly. Sure, he had held her plenty of times before, but mostly when she was crying. Not like… this. It felt different, somehow. More intimate.

"Uh, yeah," she began, before she pushed back, putting space between them again. "But usually people only dance that close when slow music is playing—"

As if DJ JJ heard her, the jamming music was interrupted, to be replaced with a slow, lullaby-like melody. "All right, party people, it's time to slow things down for all the couples out there. Here to entertain us tonight, one of my favorite ladies, the lovely Miss N!"

Tiki was distracted by a beautiful dark-skinned woman who strode onto the stage in a form-fitting dress, a mask over her face to match, with dark hair cascading down her back and over her shoulders. Every man in the place stopped and stared, entranced by the vision of beauty on the platform. The DJ handed the microphone over to her, and then she began to sing a song so beautiful and heartbreaking that it nearly brought tears to Tiki's eyes. Hesitating at first, she stepped closer to Syaoran once again, sliding her hands to rest behind his neck.

"…Like this," she finished her thought from earlier, daring to rest her head on Syaoran's shoulder as she swayed side to side. The atmosphere had become so sultry, and Tiki found herself relaxing in Syaoran's arms, as if nothing in the world could harm her while she was there, listening to that song, dancing with the Avatar on that dance floor. It was a feeling she could not describe easily… but if she had to, the closest word to it would be 'bliss'.

Syaoran almost didn't know what he was doing there. Not the dancing part—this slow dancing was so much easier than what Tiki was trying to teach him before. No, he meant how on earth he had ended up slow-dancing with Tiki in his arms. This really wasn't a normal night for Team Avatar at all; it wasn't even normal for him outside of this team. It was like there wasn't a war going on. Like he wasn't the Avatar, and he didn't have to save the world somehow. He was just Syaoran, and he was just another teenaged guy who got a fake ID to go to a club to have some fun. And now he happened to have a pretty little lady in his arms.

Okay, maybe he did like Tiki. It was a weird concept, but that was the only real answer he could come up with. Sure it was Tiki. But it was also… Tiki. It was a conundrum even to him. But he didn't exactly want to think about the conundrum at the moment. For once, may be he could just enjoy the moment. Right?

"Like this, huh?" he repeated after Tiki, his voice far away.

"Mmm…" Tiki hummed, her mind equally as far as they swayed on the spot. She had never felt so peaceful, not even while she mediated. This… she could definitely get used to this.

Vaguely, the tiny airbender recognized that she was getting greedy once again, that she was craving more than Syaoran's friendship. But Tiki suppressed the urge to pull away from Syaoran, wanting to enjoy this chance, for she was fairly certain she would never get another one. She and Syaoran could go back to being just friends tomorrow. Tonight, all Tiki wanted to do was dance with the boy she liked. That was all that mattered to her in this moment.

* * *

**A/N from DJ: Here! Some fluff and lightness to outweigh the darkness as of late! xD I'm sorry the updating has been weekly, yet irregular xP My schedule has drastically changed from the last year or so, and now I'm still figuring out when I can fit in the editing each week into it. We've got the chappies! We just... don't know the days they'll come out xD Now, onward to acknowledgements!**

**ANewButOldGuest: Now you know! Shun has quite a bit of work ahead of him once they get started xD Tiki and Syaoran definitely characterize that cute, grade-school crush that you don't know where it's going xD They're sweet to write, whereas Shun and ZanYi are more of our spicy, go with the flow couple. **

**Masseffect321: I loved that farewell, man. That made me actually laugh out loud XD**

**Ozai37: Like any group of people stuck together a long time and through life, Team Avatar definitely has its moments of change. It'll ebb and flow as the series goes on! And I'm glad you like some good ol' cute TiRan~ They'll figure things out... one way or another xD**

**Puttekara: Well, in light of your last review, I hope you enjoyed this chappie! xD We like the differences between our duos in this story because it's a little something for everyone then~ And you're right about the male-female bonding in this story. Personally we really love the relationships Shun and Tiki have and that ZanYi and Syaoran have; with how drastically different these women are, they just more naturally gravitate towards different types of people than to each other xP As for an animal for Syaoran... I don't want to say anything either way, but just remember that Syaoran really is as plain as plain can be xD He's not like the previous Avatars in a lot of ways, so never expect routine with him.**

**Japaneserockergirl: I will say nothing on the matter of Shun's family, as in this series, all things are answered in due time xD However, clearly this trip to the city is already much different from the previous one xD We'll just have to see how it goes!**

**And that's all for now! Until whenever the next time in the coming seven days that we get a chappie up, see ya!**


	7. The After Party

**Avatar: The Warring Earth**

**Book Three—Water**

**By Twins of the Pen**

**Disclaimer: Avatar in itself belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryan Konietzko/Michael DiMartino. The only things that belong to Twins of the Pen are the original characters.**

* * *

Shun, on the other hand, was less than delighted with this evening out, once they actually entered the club. The sub woofers were giving him a headache, it was stifling hot, there were too many people, and every man that walked by ZanYi did a double-take, their jaws hitting the floor, taken or not. Shun almost wanted to shove his jacket back onto the lieutenant.

"I immediately regret this decision," Shun called over the music, his squinted eyes trying to keep track of Tiki and Syaoran. "It's too… _everything_ in here." Why Tiki wanted to come to such a place—though the giant waterbender was hazarding the guess of because she wanted to show off her apparent dancing skills—he would never know for sure.

ZanYi fixed Shun with a deadpanned expression, crossing her arms. "No, really, Shun?" she clipped back at him, irritated. "Night clubs are one of the hardest places to do security for. It's loud, it's crowded, and it's dark." Which was a very bad combination for a team that consisted of the Avatar, a wanted airbending fugitive, a Resistance soldier, and a lab-rat waterbender. Oh, how ZanYi wished she could have a drink; if there was ever a night she needed one, it was tonight. But she was on the job, and therefore that meant no alcohol.

She felt a pair of hands on her hips in the glittering dark, and knew instantly they were not Shun's; they were far too small and the touch was far less than familiar. "Hey, baby, want someone to show you a good time?" a slimy voice purred in her ear. ZanYi grimaced in disgust.

"Back off," she growled, pushing the guy away from her and moving a little closer to Shun's big, imposing body, hoping he'd catch her drift. Something in her voice or on her face must've done the trick, because the guy quickly moved to scamper off… or maybe it was the 'GO DIE' look Shun had given the man for daring to touch ZanYi. The usually gentle man was not conscious of making such a face; it was a reflex reaction. So, therefore, Shun was confused as to why, when the guy glanced up at him, his face paled and he sped away as fast as he could through the crowd. Perhaps he was intimidated by Shun's height? Whatever it was, the giant waterbender didn't care, as long as the jerk's hands were off ZanYi.

Shun himself slid an arm around her waist, keeping her to his side, his face twisted in a glare for any guy that strayed too close. "Let's go sit down somewhere," he suggested, the sudden irritation he felt making his voice come out in a growl. Being as tall as he was, he was able to navigate through the crowd without too much trouble—that, and the look on his face was downright frightening. If going to clubs meant that he was going to have to shield ZanYi from the grabby hands of the smarmy men in such places, Shun was never going to agree to this again.

However, before Shun could lead her far, ZanYi dug in heels and stopped, almost stumbling forward; the waterbender seemed very intent on moving her away from the masses and wasn't about to stop. "Shun, stop," she told him, grabbing his shirt to pull him back to a halt.

It wasn't his guiding arm that she was protesting. While a different tactic, it kept the wandering hands away from her without her having to firebend or fight them off personally. Besides, it's not like she was adverse to Shun having his hands on her. They'd passed that point already.

"We can't go far," she reminded him, frowning, "I don't want Syaoran and Tiki searching everywhere for us, especially if something goes wrong and we need to get out." They had no comms, no phones. If Team Avatar lost track of each other in there, it could get bad really fast. No, her and Shun had to at least stay close by.

ZanYi tried to think of an alternative solution, but there really weren't any seats nearby, and the few that were were already taken. But standing off to the side like this was not exactly blending in… "Follow me," the lieutenant ordered, grabbing his wrist to lead him into the crowd on the floor. Shun's eyes widened, snapped out of his protective stupor. She wasn't serious, was she?

"Wait. ZanYi, no," Shun denied; it was his turn to dig his heels into the floor. His panicked blues sought her gold—but got brown instead—as he tried to make her understand. "I can't dance."

The giant waterbender felt a little embarrassed to admit such a fact, but it wasn't like he could help it. ZanYi should have suspected as much, given his random bouts of clumsiness. Shun could understand her desire to keep an eye on Tiki and Syaoran, but Shun was tall; he could probably see them from anywhere in the club, despite how many people were there. Anything but the dance floor. That was all he asked.

But he wasn't going to get his way. ZanYi was uncomfortable as it was letting the two other members run off in the midst of all of these people. She had a job to do, and it was not sitting on the sidelines. "I don't expect you to dance," she assured him with a roll of her eyes. The lieutenant already knew how much of a klutz he was. She didn't expect him to have rhythm.

But she did have to get him out on the floor so she could keep a closer look on Tiki and Syaoran.

"If you don't want to go, then stay here," she told him, releasing his shirt then, "but I'm going. I need to keep an eye on them." And with that declaration, ZanYi left his side and started to step away, watching Shun as if waiting for him to come to a different decision. Shun scowled at the lieutenant. This, she was doing on purpose, he was sure of it. With a repressed growl, he followed the frustrating woman into the crowd, even more unwilling to leave her side than he was at the prospect of dancing. But she had said that she didn't expect him to dance…

"Are we just going to stand here then?" Shun inquired of her, once he was close enough again, "because we could have just done that while on the sidelines." Seriously, if she didn't expect him to dance, what did she bring him onto the dance floor for?

ZanYi shot Shun a frown. "Standing around on the sidelines is extremely obvious that we don't belong here," she told him, as if it was obvious. "No one goes into a club if they don't have a purpose. We don't need ours to be broadcasted." They had to keep an eye on Syaoran and Tiki, but they also had to blend in. That was hard enough to do when with a giant. But anything to reduce that would be helpful.

ZanYi let her eyes scan the sea of bodies, finding Tiki and Syaoran close by. Far enough that the two older members weren't crashing in on Tiki's 'fun', but it was close enough that the lieutenant could catch a glimpse of them if she tried. Good.

Looking up to the waterbender, she patted his chest in what was almost an assuring manner. "We need to blend. I'll do all the work. You just get to stand there and look pretty," she told him. ZanYi took a deep breath, and got ready to go to work. It wasn't her first time at a club, and not the first time she'd had to lie low ine one. She already knew everything she had to know.

Catching the groove of the beats, ZanYi let her hips move from side to side, that hand now trailing down his chest. The lieutenant stopped at the waistline of his jeans, hooking on the belt loop and pulling Shun closer to her as she waved her body against him. Dancing was not something she liked or was interested in; but she could move just as sensually as the rest of these club rats if she wanted to.

Right about then was the time to start using that.

Shun did not know what he was expecting, but he was certain it was not… this. The sensuous moves as ZanYi danced to the music—the torture Shun had to endure in that institution all those years? That was nothing compared to this, what she was doing now. It was almost enough to make his brain short-circuit… and strange feelings were beginning to rise within him…

No, no no no no no. This had to stop, it was too much, they were in public, he couldn't lose his grip on his self-control here. Shun took a hasty step back, needing space, his whole body feeling like ZanYi had set it on fire. Unfortunately, the giant waterbender forgot just how crowded the club was, and a jostled cry accompanied by a splash and a clinking of glass reached his ears from behind him.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

"I'm sorry—!" he turned to apologize, until he got a good look at the person he had just run into. And then he blushed all the way from his hairline to his chin. Oh no. Of _all_ the people to run into in this city…

Hua blinked her emerald eyes up at Shun, recognizing him in an instant. "Well, if it isn't Tall Guy," she purred, a sensuous smile beginning to stretch across her face. "Fancy meeting you here. I figured you for a drifter."

"Uh…" Shun scrambled frantically about in his mind for a clever response. "I am, actually. I'm only in the city for tonight, in fact."

"Huh. Running into you both times you come into the city. Must be fate."

"Or coincidence," Shun pointed out, acutely aware of the fact that ZanYi was right behind him. "But, wow, look at the time, I really should—!"

"Hold on."

Hua reached out to rest a hand on Shun's chest, exactly where ZanYi's hand had been moments before. Shun's heart began to pound harder. Hua was scrutinizing him, her body uncomfortably close. "Something's different about you…" a smirk flitted across the blonde's face. "Did you get hotter?"

Shun was certainly feeling the heat right now. "I don't know what you mean," he replied as coolly as he could, resisting the urge to press a hand over his burning cheeks. Hua licked her lips, the same lips that had pressed against his all those months ago, when he had beaten her in a pool game by chance… Shun gulped.

"No? Hmm. Why don't I just show you, then…?"

Uh oh. Shun knew that look in her eyes. Sure enough, Hua's hand was creeping up to the back of his neck to guide him down to her lips, a move he became all-too-familiar with, thanks to ZanYi… who was still _right behind him_. How the heck was he supposed to get out of this situation without being rude to Hua, but also without disrespecting ZanYi? Shun didn't know, and his panic meter was reaching dangerous levels. All the giant waterbender knew was that he had to do _something_… and fast.

ZanYi should've expected Shun to freak out when she danced up on him. She knew just how shy he could get about this stuff. Still, she figured he would've lasted a bit longer, or even got into a little bit, considering how he got when they would make-out late into the night a bit back. But when she realized he wasn't turning back around to even face her, ZanYi got suspicious. Coming up on his side, the lieutenant saw just as the blonde he was conversing with starting to make a move on him. In the instant ZanYi realized who it was, she was moving.

Before Hua could get to Shun's frozen face, ZanYi slipped right between them and knocked Hua's hand away from Shun's neck. Right about then, the lieutenant was cursing the waterbender's ineptitude with women, but she also had a bigger problem to deal with by consequence.

ZanYi crossed her arms as she leaned back to use Shun's chest as support. "Now, hasn't anyone taught you not to touch what belongs to others?" the lieutenant remarked, lifting a brow at the blonde. Glancing up at Shun, she lifted both eyebrows pointedly. "And _you_ need to get faster at reacting," she told him with sharp eyes.

Shun was grateful to have been saved from Hua's spell, but now he knew he was in trouble for it. "I'm sorry…" he apologized, the words muffled by the hand that had finally made its way over his mouth, his head turned away in embarrassment. Seriously, of all the people to run into, it had to be Man-eater Hua? He really had the worst luck.

Hua raised her eyebrows in response to the woman who dared to interrupt her conquest. Usually, it didn't matter to the blonde whether the man she was after was taken or not. But, after seeing how her conquest reacted to said interruption, Hua felt it was safe to assume that this was already a lost cause. "Oh, so sorry," she drawled with another suggestive glance at Shun—just because she couldn't help it. "He didn't tell me he was… involved. You should really state these things clearly, Tall Guy."

"Sorry…" Shun apologized again, looking absolutely mortified. Hua smirked.

"It's fine. I've suddenly lost interest. I didn't know you could blush this much over simple flirtations. It's cute… but not what I'm looking for." With a flip of her blonde tresses, Hua made her way past the apparent couple, allowing her emerald eyes to focus on Shun for just a little longer. "Too bad: I thought tonight would be the night that I'd get to see you naked. Oh well. See you around, Tall Guy…" a curious glance to ZanYi, "…or not."

Waggling her fingers in a goodbye wave, the sensuous blonde turned and effortlessly disappeared into the crowd. Shun felt like his face was engulfed in flames—how did Hua just say what was on her mind without feeling embarrassed and making no apologies about it? It was baffling to the giant waterbender.

"…I'm sorry, ZanYi," he apologized again, turning an anxious look onto the lieutenant. "She… she's hard to handle. I didn't know what to do…"

Okay, he was starting to sound pathetic. He needed to shut up. Like, now.

ZanYi wouldn't look at Shun at first. And when she did, there was a lot to be said for the range of emotions it showed. The color of those may not be her own, but the feelings there inlaid were. There was a fair bit of irritation, and a good portion of offense, insult, and hurt.

ZanYi had no problem fighting for what was hers. That's what it meant to her. If it was her responsibility, her jurisdiction, her possession, or someone of intimate relations to her, there was nothing that was going to stop her from doing everything in her power to be there to protect and help. But she had a huge problem with Shun being a deer in headlights and willing to compromise that.

"You know, I could not care less about what happened last time the two of you crossed paths," ZanYi started, her voice low. If the music had still been thumping and grinding, it would've been impossible to hear her. But with the slow and soulful tune playing now, it was quite clear to Shun. "But things are not the same as they were before, and you just stood there and were about to let her have her way with you. You froze and did nothing."

Shun flinched, as if ZanYi had struck him. His hand wandered up to touch the cool metal he had gotten used to being there, but when his fingers encountered thick chain links, he remembered that ZanYi's dogtags were still tucked away in his satchel. He felt like he had betrayed ZanYi, and it was a very unpleasant feeling.

"…I'm sorry," Shun apologized again—if he had space to bow, he would have, but his eyes pretty much said it all. "I don't really have much experience with women… but even I know I should have said something before then. I just kind of froze up—I didn't want to be rude, but I didn't want to hurt you either… but it looks like I ended up doing both."

Shun sighed, looking away from the disappointed lieutenant. This was a mistake, coming here. If they hadn't come here… but then, even if it hadn't been at the club, what would Shun have done if he ran into Hua in the lobby of their hotel? Or in one of the stores they would be visiting? How did Shun know he wouldn't react in the same way as tonight? He didn't, and he could not do anything about his blunder now expect to try and fix it.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" The giant waterbender asked, looking anxious. "If you want to leave, I'll grab Tiki and Syaoran and we'll go. Whatever you want, I'll do it."

Was Shun whipped? Thoroughly. Did he care? Not in the slightest. He just never wanted ZanYi to have a reason to be disappointed in him again, and if that meant being eager to please her, than so be it.

ZanYi only continued to frown at him. He was sincere, as was usual. She couldn't deny that. But that didn't make her less irritated with him. Her pride was hurt, and her trust a bit weakened. Shun was certainly not her favorite person at the moment.

She looked away to find the other two in the crowd, only to see them completely wrapped up in each other at the moment, dancing slowly and softly to the lull and thrum of the music. Syaoran never looked that content, and even Tiki was happier looking than the lieutenant had seen her in a very long while. After everything that's happened lately, it was hard to just rip that way from them, even for ZanYi.

"No, you don't have to get Tiki and Syaoran," she denied begrudgingly. But she wasn't about to let Shun off the hook either. Her eyes went back to him. "As for you…" ZanYi moved closer to Shun, pulling him over by the loop of his jeans again. "You can start by showing me you know exactly whose you are."

Shun's face heated once again, but it was a slow and intense heat rather than a sudden burst, like usual. Maybe it was the atmosphere in this place, maybe it was because they hadn't had any intimate contact in a while, maybe it was the burning look ZanYi was giving him through those gold eyes masquerading as brown. Whatever it was, Shun knew exactly what ZanYi wanted, and he was more than willing to give it to her, for once not caring if someone else might see.

A hand pressing against the small of her back to keep her close to him, Shun wound his other hand in ZanYi's dark hair as he leaned down to kiss her. Even now, however, he struggled to maintain his self-control, his hands shaking slightly from the effort. As much as he wanted to, he could not throw caution to the winds with reckless abandon—they were still in public. If he let himself get carried away like the first time he had kissed ZanYi, he had no idea what might happen.

ZanYi leaned into him, kissing him back fiercely. It felt like it had been too long, and ZanYi hadn't realized how much she had wanted this, yearned for it. Surely she'd had her own set of problems as of late—problems that had led to the distance between them. But the lieutenant was starting to realize more and more she wanted to close that distance.

Was it love like Shun had for her? That she couldn't say. Not yet. But ZanYi knew this was more than just a physical attraction to the waterbender.

It was with great reluctance that the lieutenant pulled away from Shun's lips, though she did nothing about the proximity between them. She could feel the tremor in him, struggling. Struggling not to keep going, and she so very much wanted him to. "We've got to find a better place for this," she muttered, her lips brushing against his.

Shun was very much inclined to agree, but even if they did find a more secluded space, what about Syaoran and Tiki? They couldn't just forget about them… could they?

Just as Shun was on the brink of saying, "Screw it," and whisking ZanYi back to their hotel room for some very needed alone time, all of the lights in the club abruptly turned on.

"Whoa, who turned on the lights?!" DJ JJ exclaimed, shielding his eyes as Miss N did, thought both their eyes were covered with eye wear. Glancing at his watch, the disk jockey balked. "Holy crap, is it that late already? Sorry, party people, but Club Heat is officially closed for the night! Y'all don't have to go home, but you gotta get the heck up out of here!"

And just like that, the spell was broken. Shun released a sigh that turned into a frustrated growl at the end, forcing himself to step back from ZanYi once more. He gave her a longing, regretful look before turning away, searching through the crowds for the other duo of Team Avatar. He found them not too far away, slowly separating from each other and looking away, their faces cherry red. Shun would have been more interested to know what had been happening between them if he wasn't so distracted at the moment.

Tiki had extricated herself from Syaoran's embrace, her embarrassment and sense catching up to her. Oh no, why did she allow herself to slow-dance with him?! Now she liked him even more! This was going to be a serious problem from now on, the tiny airbender just knew it. "…Um," she spoke up after a tense moment, daring to peer up at Syaoran. "Should we go find Shun and ZanYi…?" Tiki was eager to leave now. Tonight had been like a fairytale for her, even if it hadn't lasted very long. But it would have to remain just that: a fairytale. Tiki knew better than to mix fantasy with reality, and she was not about to start blurring the lines now, no matter how attracted she was to Syaoran.

Syaoran only nodded, looking determinedly away from Tiki. The lights were on, the music stopped, and it was closing time. Time to get his mind back on track. There was no way that he liked Tiki like that. It had to have been a trick of the lighting, the emotional music…

Shun popped up unexpectedly a moment later, weaving through the crowds to get to them, a firm grasp on ZanYi's hand as he towed her along. "Time to go," he asserted, looking… strange. There was an expression on his face Tiki didn't quite understand, a mixture of what looked like frustration and some sort of longing. It made the tiny airbender quirk her eyebrows at him, but Shun paid her no mind—now that he had located her and Syaoran, it was time to move along through the crowd like everyone else.

Subtly, Syaoran looked over at the blushing airbender, then had to look away again because he started blushing too. Okay, maybe there was something there that wasn't there before. But that did not mean that Syaoran had to pay any attention to it. "Let's get going then," he said, turning to Shun and ZanYi. The former of the two looked more distracted than normal, his hand grasping the lieutenant's tight. ZanYi didn't seem to have a problem with that either. He was about to make a comment, but then realized he did not want to bring attention to him and Tiki.

That's when ZanYi slipped out of Shun's hand, albeit begrudgingly. Personally, she wanted to find another way to get some time with Shun, but that probably wasn't going to happen. Now that the team was on the move again, there wouldn't be that time. The four of them would be cramped together again all the time.

"Hope it was worth the trouble," ZanYi asserted, giving Syaoran and Tiki a strict look.

Tiki understood that ZanYi was actually scolding them, but she still managed to smile at the lieutenant. "Yeah. I had fun," Tiki said, throwing a glance Syaoran's way before looking away again with a blush. Normally, Shun would tease the tiny airbender about the pleased look she currently wore. Now, however, all he wanted to do was just get back to the hotel.

"Let's go. We have an early morning tomorrow," Shun asserted, leading the team with great strides, forcing the rest of them to trot to keep up. He had to get out of here. He needed air, or sleep… something to get his mind off ZanYi. The giant waterbender was still feeling the slow heat she had invoked churning inside him, refusing to die down. And now they were headed back to the hotel where Tiki and ZanYi shared a room, while Shun was left to bunk with Syaoran.

If there were ever a moment Shun wanted to complain, it was definitely now.

* * *

Two hours. _Two hours_ had passed since they'd returned to the hotel, changed, and gotten into bed. Two whole hours, and Shun was not the least bit tired. All he could think about was ZanYi, and it was driving him crazy. He felt a little guilty for shifting in the bed he had to himself so much, making so much noise and probably disturbing Syaoran, but he couldn't help it: he just could not get to sleep, no matter how hard he tried.

However, the real issue was that, in the girls' room, ZanYi seemed to be having the same problem… which was keeping Tiki awake in exchange. Finally, the tiny airbender sat up, peering over at ZanYi with a frown in the dark of the room.

"ZanYi, what's wrong? Why can't you sleep?"

ZanYi refused to answer, letting out a small growl under her breath. She wasn't sure what was worse: the night terrors, or not being able to sleep at all. At least when she had night terrors, she could wake up to Shun during the night and the next morning. The team being on the move again was going to be a nuisance, now that the nature of her and Shun's relationship had changed. It was easy for them to have all shared rooms or split up in pairs before, but now? The lieutenant found that now she was far too accustomed to Shun. And it was frustrating her.

"Just go to sleep, Tiki," she eventually said, trying to roll back over and try again.

Tiki threw a rather sour look at ZanYi's back. Here she was, just trying to help the lieutenant, and she got snark instead. Well, fine. Tiki didn't have to put up with this. "I can't go to sleep; you keep moving around," Tiki grumbled, throwing the blankets off of her and grabbing her key card. Resolute in her decision, Tiki left the room and crossed the hall to bang on the boys' door. On the other side of the door, Shun shot straight up at this, too eager to answer the door; he nearly tripped over his own two feet in the process. He finally got the door open, feeling ridiculously hopeful… only to find that it was Tiki on the other side of the door. Shun's face fell noticeably, but Tiki could not summon the energy to care that Shun was not happy to see her. "Here," she cut him off as he opened his mouth to speak, shoving her key card at him. "I'm switching rooms. ZanYi keeps moving around and it's keeping me up. Go calm her down or something."

"What? But—!"

Tiki did not give Shun a chance to protest. She slipped into the room and threw an air blast at him, shoving the giant waterbender out of the room. Next, the tiny airbender closed and locked the door before crawling into the bed previously occupied by Shun, his body heat still lingering and making the bed warm. Tiki sighed in content, settling into the pillows. "Finally. G'night, Syaoran."

The Avatar across the room, while finding the technique unorthodox, was immensely thankful. Syaoran could sleep through anything, but Shun was extremely fidgety tonight. Perhaps now he'd actually be able to sleep. Shun wasn't this bad last time they'd had to share space together, but he was horrible this time. "Thank-you," he yawned in great gratitude. "G'night, Tiki." Then Syaoran rolled over, closing his eyes to rest.

And then he realized what was happening. His jade gaze popped back open. Was he really about to share the room with Tiki for the night? Syaoran almost dared to look over there to double check, but he knew it had to be the truth since he couldn't hear Shun anymore. Months ago, he wouldn't even have cared, but now that he actually kind of-sort of liked Tiki more than a friend…

Well, this was a bit awkward. Syaoran could only hope he could get to sleep now.

Tiki, for her part, seemed unperturbed by the fact that she and Syaoran would be sharing a room. They had done so many other times before, why would tonight be any different?

The feeling of Syaoran's arms around her flashed through the tiny airbender's mind, and her face turned pink. Oh, right. That happened. Well, she may as well get over it. She was going to be the only one freaking out about it, and there was just no point to that. As long as she went straight to sleep, she would be fine.

With one last content sigh, Tiki closed her eyes and let herself drift away, finally getting the sleep she deserved.

* * *

Once Tiki barged out of the room, ZanYi growled in frustration. Seriously, where did the airbender think she was going? With a grumble, the lieutenant climbed out of bed to follow after Tiki. This was not the time for her to be insubordinate again.

Walking over to the door, ZanYi started to snarl, "I swear, Tiki, if you don't stay put—"

Her voice cut off. Why? Because when she opened the door, there was a very large waterbender standing on the other side of it. "Shun?" she asked, as if verifying she was seeing right. Just what was he doing out in the hall?

Shun was staring incredulously at the door across the hall, wondering if that seriously had just happened, when the creaking of the door in front of him promptly served as a distraction. It seemed Tiki spoke the truth when she said that ZanYi was keeping her up, because here the lieutenant was, completely awake and alert. Shun's need for ZanYi grew once he set eyes upon her golden gaze.

"…Tiki just kicked me out of my room," he explained to ZanYi. "I guess it was a mutual thing, though, since I was keeping Syaoran up…" The giant waterbender stepped closer to ZanYi, his fingertips brushing her cheek to run down the side of her neck. "Can I bunk with you?"

ZanYi only stared at him for a second, wondering whether this was a good idea. After this, it was going to be painstakingly clear to Tiki and Syaoran that her and Shun were not as they used to be—if it wasn't clear already. Shun wasn't exactly great at being covert, and ZanYi was afraid tonight she'd helped that notion along. But if Tiki could mess everyone else's plans up to get her way and have fun for the night, ZanYi supposed she would take this when it was handed to her.

"Get in here," ZanYi told him, moving back to let him into the bedroom. There was no edge to her voice, just a bit of a soft growl. When she had closed the door back behind her, ZanYi turned to Shun, sauntering over closer to him. "So, were you planning on just bunking here or…?" She let a hand trail down Shun's chest, never breaking her stare with his icy blues.

Did she really even need to ask? Was Shun not making himself clear in the way he was looking at her? Without needing any further incentive, he shoved ZanYi against the door she had just closed, pressing his body against hers as he kissed her passionately. His hands wanted to roam elsewhere, but he kept them around ZanYi's wrists, pinning her arms to the door—he had waited long enough, so he wanted to enjoy this as much as possible before she took control as usual.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, where his gentle tendencies resided, Shun was embarrassed to be behaving this aggressively; it just wasn't his style. But to heck with that tonight: it had been ages since he had been able to kiss ZanYi like this, to be able to enjoy the warmth of her body against his. And after tonight, when she had teased him so sensually, he was not going to let one moment go to waste.

This kind of aggression was unheard of for Shun. It almost startled ZanYi, but it didn't: she wanted it far too much. She matched his lips in heat, everything that she felt in the club earlier pouring out of her. Right now, she didn't care about the fact they'd have to answer to Syaoran and Tiki tomorrow for changing rooms. She didn't care that she was on duty, technically.

Right now, for the first time in her life, the only thing on her mind was one person: Shun.

The lieutenant shoved back against Shun roughly, only to jump up on him, straddling his waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Once there, ZanYi continued to kiss him harder, hotter.

This suited Shun just fine—she was closer to his lips now. He moved his hands to the small of her back, holding her to him as he moved blindly over to the bed. Once his shins hit the bed frame, he gratefully tumbled forward onto the mattress, being reckless with ZanYi again. But he couldn't find it in him to be gentle, this had taken too long for him to be patient, his self-restraint in shreds once again, just like that night when ZanYi first kissed him, the first of few short nights to come. ZanYi usually initiated the make-outs first, since Shun was always unsure of whether or not she wanted him to touch her. But for the first time, Shun was in charge, and he was ready to take advantage of that fact.

Making a low sound in the back of his throat, he released ZanYi's lips long enough to let her catch her breath, moving to kiss her neck instead. Her smoky scent was strongest here, and Shun found himself breathing deep as he pressed his lips against the length of her neck, pausing here and there to nibble on the flesh. He had all but lost his mind, but was happily intoxicated by the moment. Syaoran and Tiki could ask all the questions they wanted to tomorrow—Shun would be content for a very long time after tonight.

And ZanYi was of the same mind tonight. She already knew that she was attracted to Shun, that she cared about Shun. But the lieutenant was pretty sure she hadn't known that Shun had all of… _this_ in him. It was amazing.

"Shun…" ZanYi couldn't help but utter, voice rough with everything the moment was throwing at her. When she couldn't take it anymore, she shoved Shun's head back to her lips, pressing hard and moving roughly over his lips as her hands got tangled up in his hair. It was surprisingly soft, and her fingers curled up in it, holding his head so that his lips would not leave hers. He had no choice now.

Shun obliged her, wanting nothing more to please her. The way she said his name had him yearning for her even more, his tongue intertwining with hers as he pressed his body into hers, one hand daring to slip under her shirt, something he would not even attempted if his control wasn't already long-gone.

But wait… this was getting dangerous. If they didn't slow down soon, they might end up crossing a line they could not come back from…

This fact breaking through some part of the lustful haze that had seized Shun, he broke away for air again, panting as he gazed down at ZanYi, her face looking as flushed as he felt. "…ZanYi," he panted, his voice husky, "I can't… if we don't stop soon, I don't think I'll be able to control myself. I don't want to do anything we're not ready for, so if we need to stop here, tell me so." He hoped she would take his warning seriously: usually Shun could control himself, but not now. Not tonight. If she didn't tell him to slow down, he would be pushed past his breaking point. If she had any qualms, it was either now or never that she had to say them.

ZanYi had to breathe first, to put oxygen back in her panting lungs. Never, really, had she lost her breath like this, lost so much of her discipline and training to where she threw it all away. But with Shun, even she was losing it, pushing it all to the side. So when he asked the question, the lieutenant almost was confused as to why he would ask.

But even then, ZanYi knew better. Shun loved her. And if she wasn't ready to take that same leap, then this could all hurt him later. Besides, they were still in the middle of a war. What if something happened to her out there like Zaron? Or to him? There were too many variables. And she didn't want to hurt him. _That_ was a fact.

Which is why she growled in irritation, running a hand up to push away the hair that fell around her face. "Shun…" she said again, her aggravation showing—or perhaps it was still the passion? "…I… we've got to stop then. We can't go there. Not right now."

It upset her, and greatly so. But as much as ZanYi just wanted to throw all caution to the wind, she could never completely shake the reality around her. There was a reason she was 'The Lieutenant'.

Almost as if apologizing for it, ZanY arched herself upwards to kiss Shun's lips again, savoring the motion. When she fell back down to the bed, she allowed her golden stare to rest on Shun above her, still panting a little. "You still staying tonight?"

Shun let out a slow breath. It was a bit of a relief for ZanYi to be clear with him, although a part of him was a little disappointed that they had to stop. Still, if ZanYi didn't want to cross that line, he wouldn't. He loved her too much to do that to her. At her question, he smirked. "Yes, Lieutenant," he crooned softly, leaning down to kiss her once again, but only briefly. The whole purpose of them slowing down was so he wouldn't get carried away. Moving to lay beside ZanYi instead, Shun slid his arms around her waist, pulling her to him, already missing her body heat. Tonight… was amazing. Shun never knew he could feel like that, although he worried now that he had unleashed some kind of beast that had been chained up within himself, his shared passion with ZanYi setting the beast free. Shun was going to have to watch himself from then on, especially since he and ZanYi wouldn't always have a chance to be alone.

Now that he was regaining some of his sense, the giant waterbender's face was flushing a deep red. He couldn't believe he had acted so aggressively towards ZanYi! It was true that she was not made out of glass and would not break if he mishandled her a little, but still! How embarrassing. Peering down at the lieutenant's neck, Shun could see a couple dark spots forming on ZanYi's neck. He gulped.

"…Um, ZanYi… I'm sorry, but… I think I gave you a couple hickeys."

He had _definitely_ gotten carried away.

ZanYi frowned at him, reaching up to touch her neck. There were certain spots that she could feel were more tender. "Great…" she mumbled with a roll of her eyes. If they were still on base, she probably would've wanted to murder Shun. But she wouldn't have, and she definitely didn't right then. Shun had been way too fantastic for that. And somehow he'd just found a way to say her title in a very sexual manner. This man was good.

With an aggravated sigh, she dropped her hand back down, giving Shun a look. "Well, in the end, they're just small bruises. You can heal them in the morning," she assured him. "But if Tiki and Syaoran ask anything about tonight, you get to explain that one." That caused another sigh to come from ZanYi. "So, what do we tell them?" she asked, looking up at Shun. "Because I think 'secret' and 'covert' have just officially left the building."

"Mmm…" Shun hummed, lowering his head to nuzzle ZanYi's neck. True, up until now, they had kept their relationship quiet and on a 'need-to-know' basis. But, considering Tiki had basically forced them into a room together, there was nothing about their relationship that could be kept secret anymore. "…We tell them the truth," Shun decided, looking up to meet ZanYi's eyes. "We're together, aren't we? Where's the sense in hiding it? They were going to figure it out eventually if we kept sneaking off by ourselves. They're not stupid." Honestly, Shun felt that them continuing to deny it to the other duo in Team Avatar was just insulting Tiki and Syaoran's intelligence. There was no sense in denying it, since Tiki—and very recently, Syaoran—had been rooting for them to get together. In fact, Shun would be surprised if he and ZanYi weren't suspected as being together already.

This only made ZanYi groan again, and this one was not a sound of pleasure, but rather displeasure. Her and Shun being like this was a big piece of her privacy, something she usually preferred to keep from interfering with her job. ZanYi didn't mix business and pleasure, even if Shun was pushing the boundary to give her no option but to every time they had a plan.

"Fine, though I expect they wouldn't be surprised," the lieutenant agreed. "Especially considering the way that Tiki basically threw you to me tonight. And you've been ever so open about wearing my tags…" ZanYi reached up to touch the cool metal around Shun's neck at the thought, though the memory of the last person in her life to wear similar tags was surfacing.

_"Look… there is more than this war. I know you've come to know this… You're with that waterbe—Shun… So let him make you happy…"_

Zaron's voice came floating back, a reminder that she still wasn't quite all there, not quite all together. But ZanYi didn't rush to squeeze her head, squeeze the voice right out. It was coming less and less these days—perhaps, like Shun had suggested, because she was starting to believe her brother's words. If tonight was any indication, the lieutenant was ready to at least start letting Shun try make her happy.

It made her smirk a little bit, and her hand clasping around the dogtags to pull Shun's face a little closer. "So, do you remember whose you are now?" she quipped, looking up at Shun through a hooded golden gaze.

"Yes, Lieutenant," Shun replied obediently, his voice still husky. He leaned in and kissed ZanYi again, but carefully, so he wouldn't be shoved over the edge again. He had already done enough damage tonight—the marks on ZanYi's neck proved it. The funny thing was that Shun was probably more embarrassed by the hickeys than ZanYi was.

"We should get some sleep," he mumbled, pressing his face into ZanYi's neck once more, breathing in her smoky scent. "We already have to be up early tomorrow." And Shun was going to be downright exhausted because of tonight. It would probably take a whole barrel of coffee in order for him to feel alert tomorrow, and that was not good. So now that he had finally calmed down, the giant waterbender was going to attempt to get what sleep he could.

ZanYi nodded, just enjoying the feel of Shun's face buried in her neck. The contact was enough to keep the goosebumps of the evening fresh. Of all of the other nights that they had been together, none of them had been like this, in nature or action. This was something that was going to stick for a while with the lieutenant—much longer than the hickeys on her neck would be there to remind her.

A disappointing consequence, but in her book, it was certainly worth it.

"You act as if you wouldn't already be awake early," she reminded him. ZanYi was always up early, but Shun was always up earlier, though he did seem to sleep later when they stayed the night together. Probably because those nights he was woken up in the middle of it to wake her up and stop her screaming.

But tonight, even a night terror couldn't mess this up. Guiding his face back up to hers, ZanYi kissed him once more before wiggling in his grasp. The lieutenant turned around to face the other way, shifting herself so that her back was pressed tight against Shun's broad chest. "Goodnight, Shun," she spoke into the dark, closing her eyes. "See you in the morning."

Shun smiled in content, his eyes already drifting closed, comforted by the fact that ZanYi was snug in his grasp. "Night," he mumbled, a yawn following soon after. Sleep was already trying to claim him, but the giant waterbender struggled to keep awake. He had one more thing to say to ZanYi before he fell asleep. Moving so that his lips were at her ear, Shun whispered, "I love you, ZanYi."

There. Now he could go to sleep. Resting his chin on top of ZanYi's head, Shun let out another huge yawn, his consciousness drifting. He would have to remember to thank Tiki tomorrow: if she had not been so pushy in her endeavors to get some rest, Shun probably would not be in here with ZanYi right now.

And, not that she would ever admit it, but ZanYi was thankful too. Because now that Shun was there, she knew she could fall fast asleep, with the hope of a terror-less night. Content and comfortable in Shun's arms, ZanYi quickly fell asleep too.

Peace at last.

* * *

**A/N from Eva: (Whistles) Is it hot in here, or is it just me? XD Looks like things are steaming up for ShunYi. Despite their secret being out at this point, let's hope they can keep their cool in front of Tiki and Syaoran...or their hands off each other, at least. XD**

**Ozai37****: We're glad you find Tiki and Syaoran cute! We adore them as well~ Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last one!**

**writingbrick****: Welcome back. XD I believe this is our cue to laugh maniacally...but you seem to be going through enough as it is, so we'll restrain ourselves. XD I almost feel bad for feeding your addiction, BUT, we're more glad you're enjoying our story! We hope you will continue to read!**

**Masseffect321: Oh no, one of your reviews got lost? That sucks. We're glad this one made it through! (And I also approve of the nifty send off, ha ha.) Thanks for continuing to support us!  
**

**ANewbutOldGuest****: Ha ha, well, part of your prediction came true. XD Was it in a way you expected, though? Be sure to let us know! Thanks for reading!**

**Thanks again to everyone who continues to support DJ and I, as well as Team Avatar! The ball's going to start rolling for Syaoran's waterbending training soon, so be sure you stick around to see it! 'Till next time, bye bye!**


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